Stärke and Erdbeeren
by Amati
Summary: It's the 74th Hunger Games. Gale and Madge are chosen. What Madge would've done if she was chosen, and love is not an option. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Stärke**** and Erdbeeren**

**Chapter 1**

I looked at myself in the mirror, as my reflection look back at me. Madge Undersee. That is who I am, the daughter of the mayor, born in District 12 of Panem. The twelfth district? Funny, how it is supposed to be the filthiest, since we are known to be the coal miners, but here I am standing in my bed room. With mahogany floors, and perfect pearl white walls, with a huge comfortable king sized bed, and other items I had _wanted._

I tied up my blond curly hair with a pink ribbon that fell over my shoulders, and left my room and was just about to go downstairs of the manor, but stopped when I heard my father call for my name. I halted, and retraced my steps to follow his voice, that seemed to fill the silence in the house. I entered the study room, the room where he would work in, and manage District 12. I knew why he had called me. Of course… It's the day of the reaping.

"Madge…" He said with a croak when he saw me, he had his head in his hands but as soon as he heard the door creak open he looked up at me. There as I stood waiting for his explanation, for his reasoning to know as to why he called me… even though we both knew. "Madge…" he called out again but this time he stood up and walked around his dark wooden desk, and towards me.

As soon as he was in front of me, within forearms length. I gave him a soft sad smile, showing him that it'll be okay, and knowing that my name was only put in there five times, compared to others, that was nothing. Thinking about that made things easier for me than it already is, but then again the slight thought of me getting picked, left nothing but shivers in my body…I barely had a chance of my name being picked for the Hunger Games.

"Dad, I'm going to be fine." I tried to reassure him. But he just gave me the same look, and it killed me just looking at it, the way he looked so stressed, tired, and…Scared. "My name has been in their only five times… Compared to others that's nothing." I finally speak up and say my thoughts out loud.

"I know, but Madge I can't help but feel this way, not until you're eighteen." I gave him a sad smile, not knowing how to respond to that. So I just found another interesting place, such as the floor and looked at it, and not his disheartened eyes.

"Madge…" But before I could utter another word, he pulled out a small object from his pocket and pinned it against my white silk dress. For a while I couldn't see what he was trying to pin on my dress but as soon as he removed his hands, there I saw aunt Maysilee's pin, she wore this pin when she went to fight in the 50th Hunger Games. It was pure gold, and had a shape of a mockingjay, with pure gold circling it, as if trying to secure it in place, nonetheless it was working.

Mockingjays were my favourite bird out there. They were a combination of a jabberjay, who were paternal, and now extinct, with a mix of the maternal mockingbird. Thus creating the mockingjay, a jabberjay would copy the exact words a human would say, but a mockingjay would copy what you sang. I loved music, I played the piano ever since I was young, so I knew my notes, and sang with them, and they would sing right back at me.

My aunt Maysilee, She was my mother's twin sister, but unfortunately died in the second Quarter Quell, where as in fifty tributes were chosen and not twenty four as it should've been. But the Capitol did that for every Quarter Quell, they would adjust the rules a bit, to make the games more horrific, for us, but more entertaining for the Capitol. She wore this pin when she was chosen, and wore this pin when she died. It is beyond me to know how my mother got it back.

"Dad…" I looked up at him, tears leaking through my eyes but not falling. I didn't want to cry, I just couldn't show my father how enervate his daughter is, but this pin reminded me of how horrible the Capitol was, for doing this to us.

"You're mother wanted you to have it… not because she thought you'd get chosen, but to let hope live on." He replied in a whisper, as if somebody was listening to us. But his statement made me confused.

"Hope? ...For what dad?" Before he could respond to what I said, there was a knock at the door. We gave one another a look, before I turned around and descended the stairs to see who it was.

As soon as I opened the door, there stood Katniss Everdeen, and beside her was Gale Hawthorne her longtime friend. If I hadn't known Katniss since we were kids I would've made the mistake to think these two were cousins, which some people in district 12 make assumptions of. They both had grey eyes, and dark brown hair. But they weren't related, they were hunting partners, friends, and perhaps even more than that.

They held strawberries in a basket, they were here to make business with my father. Who absolutely adored strawberries, but strawberries were never found in District 12, because we weren't allowed to go beyond the fence, which Katniss and Gale didn't have a problem with.

I hung out with Katniss at school ever since we were little, we talk very little, which suits us both. We are not in to what girls usually talk about at school, such as dresses or anything similar to that. We enjoyed the quiet and small conversations with one another. As for Gale, I have come to believe he doesn't like me, for I have so much more than him. He resents me for having such an easier life than him, but I have done nothing wrong to him personally. We rarely talk, other than having to do business with strawberries, we have no reason to.

"Pretty dress," Says Gale. I gave him a look, not knowing if it was a compliment or if he is mocking me, I looked down at my dress. It was pretty, but I wouldn't wear it occasionally, I only did it for the reaping. I inhaled then smiled at him.

"Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" I respond back to him, inwardly smiling smugly with my comeback. Nonetheless I mean every word that came out of my mouth. Though Gale looked at me with a little confusion in his eyes, but other than that he held his stoic expression.

"You won't be going to the Capitol." He replies coolly, and looks around and catches sight of my golden pin. He probably thinks of me in a sick way, me owning so much money, enough for gold, and can get it with a couple of easily earned coins from my father, but for him… He was from the seam. It was him, who had to earn it, as well as Katniss, whom both fathers died in a coal mining incident, they were the ones who had to take care of their family. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was twelve years old."

Ouch. Even though his comment hurt, it was nothing but the truth. I didn't have to take tessera, but they did. When you sign up for Tessarae, which is optional, you gain grain and oil for one person, for once a month for a whole year. In exchange they have to put your name in to the Hunger games as many times you signed up for Tessarae, which also adds up to the amount you already have. They add your name one more time for however old you are.

"That's not her fault." Katniss steps in, which I was grateful for, for I had no comeback against that, he's been through so much of a rough life than I. There is no denying that.

"No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is." Says Gale. Though I looked at both Katniss and Gale trying to hide my hurt expression. I also noticed how Katniss can calm Gale down with a couple words, she has also been known to bring out the best in him. I stopped dwelling on the topic and gave her the money, in exchange for the berries.

"Good luck Katniss."

"You too." With that I closed the door. I made my way over to the kitchen and placed the fresh strawberries on the counter. Usually I would eat them along with my father, but right now I thought about what Gale said, and that put me off in to a bad mood. I thought about how the odds were in my favor, and how he had more slips than me, and how they weren't in his. That goes for Katniss as well.

I tried not to dwell on the topic again but I just couldn't help it, I headed upstairs to my mother's room. I opened to door, slowly to check if she was awake, which she rarely ever was. It wasn't her fault though, she was sick, and had a lot of migraines, she needed help, which was provided by the morphing… but slowly killed her as well, even though it stopped the pain for a short period of time.

I entered the room, walking in tiptoes, and slowly planting a kiss on her forehead. Just in case I never saw her again. My mother and I had a relationship with very little words, for as in we barely could ever talk to one another due to her sickness. I just wish I had so much more time to spend with her, and not see her wither away all my life. She is the light to my whole entire world, she is the only person in this world I would give _everything_ up for. I just want to see her smile in pure bliss for once, and not in sadness.

As I walked back out in the hallway, I noted my father already left for the reaping. I also didn't realized I spent so much time with my mother, even though she wasn't awake, it was nice…Just seeing her there in harmony. But as for my father being the mayor, he had to be there before everyone else, and he probably said good-bye to my mother as well, we could never leave the house doing that. But it was also time for me to head to the reaping as well.

As I stepped out of my house, I noted how everyone was walking towards town square making their way to the reaping. I soon joined the crowd, it wasn't weird at all how nobody spoke a word, how everyone either had a broken face, or how they seemed to be stoic. I was among them. There was children, mothers, fathers, and kids who might get reaped themselves. Heading in one direction. Town square.

Soon I was among the teenagers, waiting for the names to be called. There Effie Trinket made her introduction, with her pink wig, and a huge smile plastered across her face, and a bit too perky for the reaping. As well as Haymitch who barfed up on the staged, and was drunk. He was supposed to the mentor for district 12, but was drunk all the time. He put shame to District 12, because he was supposed to teach other tributes after him, no tribute from our district ever won after him.

My father as well made his introduction, and after that there was the anthem for Panem. But everybody refused to sing it, if you did, it meant you were satisfied with Panem, and nobody was, except for those who live in the Capitol. Effie Trinket made her appearance on stage once again. Her pink wig was getting out of place, but she still had a smile across her face.

"So let's find out who our tributes are!" She said with too much glee, that it sickened me. "Ladies first!" My fist tightened in apprehension. Effie made her way to the clear crystal ball that held all of the names, which belonged to us girls. I only had five entries. There was no way my name can be picked, out of a thousand, but we'd have to wait and see.

She pulled out a name. My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe, my fist tightened. I prayed that it wouldn't be me, as selfish as that may be. I was starting to sweat in the palm of my hands.

"Margaret Undersee!"

Even though I wasn't breathing, it felt like every last bit of energy, air, or what has been left of me, left me. I couldn't feel anything. I didn't even notice how everybody got out of the way to make room for me, and the stage. I slowly made my way up on the stage, not daring to make any eye contact just yet, for if I did, I might burst in to tears. I wasn't like that, I didn't like people seeing me cry, and I wasn't the one to show much emotion.

As soon as I was up there, on stage. I finally took a look around at everybody in District 12. Not looking at anyone in particular. I did take in some stares that held sympathy, but I was also given faces filled with humor. Of course, I am the mayor's daughter. The girl who always got what she wanted, who lived her life in a fantasy. Now I got what I finally deserved. I couldn't even look at my father, for if I did, I knew I would've ended up crying, and I didn't want that. I didn't want to look weak in front of every other tribute from other districts, who was going to look at me tonight, even though I was an easy target.

I didn't even have the proper training, I wasn't ready for the Hunger Games. I didn't have any skills that I would need to fight in the Hunger Games. I knew how to play the piano, but what good would that do? I am the mayor's daughter who believed she would never get chosen to go to the Hunger Games, due to the amount of times my names has been put in to the draw. I have never fought in my life, I can't run fast either...

"Well, oh my! Now look who we have here! The Mayors daughter! Now that is quite interesting!" I made no response to Effie's comment. But I looked a head in to nothing in particular, holding back many tears. Her comment put me on edge, but I didn't feel insulted…I felt _proud_.

I didn't even notice Effie walk over to the crystal see-through ball that held all the names of the guys of District 12. But I did hear the name, my heart stopped, once again, and this time a tear escaped from my eyes.

"Gale Hawthorne!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

There was a cry of a baby off in the distance, I didn't know who was crying but I was pretty sure it was somebody that held Gale dearly. A lot of people from district 12 held Gale in their respects, not because of the illegal hunting he does. But because of his demeanor, he is kind as it can get, when he wants to be. Well that was what I was told, but none of these stories seemed to be true, so far. When his name got called out, it felt as if everybody stopped breathing, including mine.

There I saw him walk towards the stage, again with his stoic expression, but this time judging from his eyes, he seemed to have held anger in them. People made a pathway for him, for as if he was diseased with something terrible, they wouldn't step nowhere near him, just like they did to me. By the time he got up on stage, he didn't dare look me in the eyes, he looked straight ahead in to nothing in particular. The wails of the child were now muffled. But still there.

My heart couldn't stop pounding, and I had yet to breathe properly. I couldn't think straight, now I am certain I will die. Here I am, Madge. No experience of fighting, and beside me is Gale, an experienced hunter who has been hunting for years. Plus the fact that his lean muscles are almost big as my head, and he has to be at least one and half heads taller than me. The odds were definitely not in my favor.

"Well here we have it folks! The tributes of District 12!" If she was expecting an applause, then she should have felt disappointed, because there was none. Nothing but silence. She turned around to the both of us smiling as if it was the last thing she could do, and said "Now shake hands! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Gale reached out for a handshake, like every tribute did for the last seventy four years with one another. There I stood staring at his hand for a while, and slowly reached out to meet his calloused, rough ones. It was then I realized that I was trembling uncontrollably, I was sure Gale realized it too, because when I looked up at him, he refused to meet my gaze, and stared at our connected hands instead. But what surprised me was when he gave a small and gentle reassuring squeeze.

When we looked back at the crowd, they all held up three fingers in the air, all connected to one another. It made me smile a bit, this was a gesture to show us respect, and they all held it up. Even those kids from the seam that despised me and those rich folks that find Gale disgusting. Which in turn, Gale and I did the same.

Before we knew it, we were ushered in to the justice building. They lead me and Gale in to separate rooms, it was time to say good-bye to those who loved us and those we loved. At least the Capitol had been nice enough to do that, but it still didn't make the bitter feeling go away. Was this how all the other tributes felt before me?

"Madge!" I heard my father's desperate voice call out to me as soon as he burst through the door. When his eyes instantly laid on me, we shot for one another, and in to each other's embrace.

"Dad!" I croaked out, and let the tears finally fall. They weren't anything like I expected them to be. They kept coming, and wouldn't stop. If I couldn't stop, soon the peacekeepers would come and take him away before we even spoke to one another. He held onto me so tightly that it began to hurt, but I said nothing.

"Madge! Look I don't have enough time with you, but I want you to know that I love you!" He spoke to me as if was the last time he will ever speak to me. He didn't think I was going to get out alive… But I didn't think so either, and probably all of district 12 as well.

"Where's mom?" I choked out through my consistent tears, I wanted to see her. Even if it was for the last time, I just wanted to see my mother. Maybe then I would know why I should actually try to fight in the Hunger Games.

"Madge, I'm so sorry… But she couldn't make it. Madge…" After that, I didn't want to hear anything else… I wanted my mother here. But she couldn't make it, she was probably still in bed sleeping… not aware of any of this, and the thought itself made me cry even more. She won't see me leave, she doesn't even know what's happening… but it's for the better, right? The less she knows, the less heartbroken she'd be. She has already lost somebody important to her in the Hunger Games, and once again she'll have to lose another loved one to the Hunger Games.

"I love you too Dad. Tell mom I love her too." I just wish I saw her one last time before I died. It was _almost_ inevitable. I had no experience in fighting whatsoever, I was too skinny for my own good, and I didn't even bother to train all these years.

All of a sudden, the peacekeepers came in through the doorway, and told my father to leave, his time was up. He composed himself and let me go. He whispered 'I'll tell your mother.' Making me a little better, knowing my mother will know how I feel about her, but it also meant he didn't believe in me. I know it would have been false hope if he did, but it still didn't mean anything. He gave up on me, his only child. He was getting ready to let go of me, and he didn't even give me a chance, to prove myself, that maybe I could fight and get out alive...

Then that bitter feeling came again. Not just because my father didn't have any hope left for me, but nobody else came to say good-bye, I wasn't trying to be selfish or anything, I just wanted to know that when I died… there would actually be that one person, other than my family , to cry for me. I sat on the edge of the chair, bringing up my hands to bury my face in them, but before I could weep any longer, Katniss walked through the door. Plus to say I was shocked was an understatement. Katniss would have been one of the least people I would've suspected, I would've suspected her to go to Gale and stay with him as long as she could.

"Katniss?" my voice was hoarse through all of the crying. Even though, this was supposed to be a sad good-bye, I was glad. I was glad somebody came to me, and showed me they cared. This also helped me realize that Katniss was my friend, perhaps my only friend. Sure we don't have to be close, but we're friends right? Knowing the fact that somebody other than my family cared about me… lightened me up a little.

"I felt as if it was right for me to say something to you before you left." She said as we stood there awkwardly. I honestly believed Katniss wouldn't come and say good-bye to me before I left, and this gesture just surprised me beyond belief. Also I understood where she was coming from, through all of our encounters, all the times we sat through lunch, became partners for school activities, and only spoke with little words to none.

"Look Madge… never mind." She said, and with her expressionless face, and kept on look everywhere but my face, it was hard to tell what she was trying to tell me. Katniss had been always like that, she hid her emotions well, just like Gale, and they'd been like that ever since their fathers past away.

"Just tell me." I said bluntly, between me and Katniss, there may be little to no words, but it still didn't mean we couldn't hold a conversation or told each other anything. I trust Katniss, she was my only friend, I didn't know if she thought the same as me but right now those thoughts didn't matter.

"I personally place my bet on you." She told me, with little emotion from her voice. Nonetheless, it left me shocked. My own father didn't even have faith in me. What about Gale? Her long time friend? Why didn't she have faith in him? But faith in me… for what exactly?

"Why?" I blurted out through my jumbled thoughts, right now it didn't matter about emotions, right now it was about the truth. For we may never encounter one another again. I wanted to know, as to why it was me and not Gale, I wanted to ask 'what about Gale?' but I wouldn't find enough time to.

"I honestly don't know Madge." Once again the Peacekeepers barged in, but this time it was different. Katniss fought. She fought for me. "Look Madge, you're different! Madge! Kick some ass!"

Then she was gone. Though she said very little words to me, she left a big impact. She actually thought I could do something, I was pretty sure the moment I was reaped, everyone _knew_ I was going to die. But Katniss didn't. My own father believed I was going to die. But Katniss didn't. I didn't even believe in myself, I was going to go out there without a fight. But Katniss, the girl I barely considered a close friend, did.

But that made me question myself again. Why wasn't it Gale? Why didn't she believe in Gale? Weren't Gale and her closer…? Which lead me to other thoughts, Katniss had a knack for trusting her guts, but was it her guts telling her to believe me? Or was it Katniss herself? Here my friend has faith in me, but I don't have any faith in myself? Neither does my father, my Dad, the man who I spent most my life with, the one I held blood relation to. If Katniss were ever in my place… She would never go down without a fight, and… thinking about it…neither would I.

But before I was left to ponder more on her actions, the peacekeepers entered through the doorway and lead me in to a wagon with Gale, who I sat beside. Who was still in his stoic position, but seems a little bit calmer than I saw him before, though he doesn't even glance my way. I was pretty sure my eyes were bloodshot from all the crying I went through, but Gale seems unfazed, he looks tougher, as if he is trying to create a shield around himself. Effie was sitting behind us, noticing this, and decides to step in.

"Well would we look at that, a boy from the seam, and a girl with money." She said with joy, and slightly high pitched. If she was trying to get a reaction from the both of us, it worked. I flinched at her comment and Gale's hands tightened in to a fist. "Now we don't have that in the Hunger Games very often."

"You must want to tear each other's heads off." She continued on, if she assumed that statement, then she was wrong. Well for my part at least. I didn't want to hurt anybody, and especially Gale. He was the only person I would know when I go off in the games. As stupid as it may sound, but he'll be the only one I can actually trust. With the Hunger Games… You can't do that. But if I want to survive, I know I can't do it alone, and even though I haven't met any of the other tributes yet, I know Gale will be one of the first people I will start an alliance with. This alliance also wouldn't last a very long time, considering there can only be one victor.

"Well Margaret?" She asked, trying to confirm her statement. I didn't want to make myself sound weak and say all of what I thought about Gale, instead of answering her question, I changed the topic.

"Just call me Madge." I mumbled out, Gale again, said nothing and left me to talk to her. So I left him, in his own thoughts. He wouldn't respond to any of words of Effie's mouth, and I didn't even bother trying to start a conversation with him.

"Huh? You're name is Patch?" Effie asked in her screechy voice, it made me cringe, and get away from her. Though her question made Gale react. I looked over at him and saw a smile on his face, as if he is trying to hold back his laughter. The thought made me blush, but angered me a little on the inside, though I was silently glad he was a little better. I gave him a look, but said nothing against it, and turned back to Effie.

"I said my name is Madge." A little louder this time, then she goes on in to a long apology and how I should speak up, and by that time I tuned her out. I kept glancing over at Gale to see if he'd show any emotions but, he just sat there, emotionless, other than the whole hand clenching, and the light laughter, no other sound emitted from him.

By the time we arrived at the platform, it was filled with reporters, cameras, some of them were people just watching us leave from our own district, and nobody I knew was over there. Gale paid no attention to them, but as for me, my mother had always told me to smile at people, and appear approachable. Though I didn't know what to do for this situation, they put me in to this horrible disaster. Should I smile, look like an easy target and look happy at what they did to me? Or should I appear cold and intimidating so other tributes could watch out for me, and the Capitol would know I am not happy with their rules, and I shall not bend to them. I wouldn't get far with doing the latter.

So I did what my mother told me I do best, I sent them a smile to the reporters, and the cameras. Which I got a reaction in return, they smiled and tried to talk to me, or they began to cheer. As Gale and I headed in to the train I sent him another glance to see him, glaring off in to the distance. But as soon as the Train doors close behind Effie, he turns to me.

"What was that?" he asked harshly. He glared at me with his grey eyes that seemed to be competing with his voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a calmer tone then his, I was known to do that. To stay calm in no matter what situation I was in. that's how my mother raised me, she told me, 'no matter what Madge, act like a lady and you'll be treated like one.' Basically saying never to lose my cool, for if I do, it'll be little me to the other person's level, in this case, Gale's.

"You know what I mean. You were up on the stage trembling to the bone, and now you're best-friends with these people who made you in to that?"He still kept his glare, which was starting to get to me.

"No… I-" my vice starting to get stronger, remembering my mother's voice in the back of my mind, knowing that I may have to act like a lady, but a lady also has to be independent, but Gale wouldn't let me finish.

"Then stop acting like it." It was then Effie decided to step in our conversation, before it got too heated.

"Well why don't we take a look around?" To clear my mood, I did just that. She lead us to the dining room, that held red carpet, covering the floors, with designs added on to them, with matching couches, that were set up in front of a large TV, for us to be able to see the tributes tonight. Behind the couches, there was a dining table, with little appetizers already set up, along with plates and utensils, with the touch of the vase filled with flowers in the middle of the dining table.

Effie made Gale and I sit on the couches, and told us not to go in our rooms just yet. She left the train cart for a while, advising us to sit there. While Gale and I sat, staring off in to the TV screen which was black. From the corner of my eye, I saw Gale looking around as if trying to find every little detail in the train cart. But I sat there making no move, and will not try to make a conversation with Gale.

My father told me I did that a lot, whenever I got insulted, I became closed off. Given our earlier conversation an example of my behavior, I couldn't take insults as good as others. I was known to be shy all my life, so I didn't know how to react to them, and judging that it was Gale that was the one that made me act this way, I doubt he'd notice.

"Hey Undersee?" I was pretty shocked when I heard him call out my name, well not my name but something close to it. I looked over at him, to find his deep set of grey eyes staring back at me. "Why did she leave us in here?" He asks as if nothing went on between us earlier, maybe it hadn't been anything, but I was just making a big deal out of it. But telling by his posture, he seemed as if it was nothing.

"I don't know." I replied back in a harsh voice, but that was all I got to say before the train cart door opened, and stumbles in a very drunk man, Haymitch. Effie wasn't behind him, but I figured he was the reason why she left us in here and judging by the way she acted, I could imagine her all disgusted by Haymitch, and also the very same reason she isn't in here with us.

Haymitch stumbles on to one of the unoccupied couches, and sits down as if was his own house he was sitting in. His odor was drenched in alcohol, I had to cough a few times, due to its strength to get adjusted to it. I sent Gale a weary glance, which I got in return.

"I'm Haymitch!" he said with a slur in his voice, and with too much glee, he stirred around a bit but it was kind of surprising to say he didn't have any alcohol in his hand. After that he laughs. Before saying "Introduce yourselves!" I'd expect him to know our names, because he was at the reaping, but then again, he was drunk.

"Gale Hawthorne." Came a deep voice beside me, he seemed to have recovered from the fact that he'll be our mentor and he'll teach us to fight in the Hunger Games, well at least that made one of us. I still didn't trust Haymitch, and I didn't quite believe Gale did too, I silently believed he was trying to get on Haymitch's good side, so he just obediently obliged to Haymitch's request. Then again, Haymitch wouldn't remember any of this, so why try? Or maybe Gale didn't want Haymitch waking up to a black eye, and knows instantly who it is.

"You think you'll make it out alive?" We all knew what he was talking about, the Hunger Games. Even though he asked that question I believed he shouldn't have asked it, in the first place. Where was he trying to get at? I also noticed Gale's had narrowed his grey eyes on Haymitch, but again, I said nothing against it.

"Did you tell that to yourself?" gale replied, I look over back to Haymitch to see him narrowing his eyes at Gale as well, it seemed as if they were having an internal battle with one another.

"I'm asking the questions, kid." Gale Scowled at his new nickname, and I could already see that Gale was about to respond to Haymitch's comeback and this was not going to end all that pretty, and decided I finally step in.

"Margaret. Margaret Undersee, but just call me Madge." I said loud enough for both of them to snap out of their glaring contest. Haymitch looked over at me, about to say something close to an insult, or an insult itself, but he stops in his tracks.

He looks at me as if he was seeing a human being for the first time, it made me feel uncomfortable. He wouldn't even blink for a while, he analyzed every part of my face, then finally looked down at the gold pin. His eyes widened, which caused me a little discomfort but I showed myself unfazed.

"Where did you get that golden pin from, sweetheart?" The nickname seemed to be better than Gale's, which had Gale, again, glaring at Haymitch, but Haymitch paid no heed to it. Haymitch's voice seemed to have a softer touch all of a sudden as well, but I still kept my distance from him, from knowing that fact he was still drunk.

"It's my aunt Maysilee's. She wore it when she-"

"Went to the second Quarter Quell. So you're Elise daughter? She gave it to you, huh?" Which had me blinking in confusion, how did he know? What was he talking about, and how did he know my mother's name? I looked over at Gale to find him giving me a shrug and also giving Haymitch a confused gaze, indicating he didn't know any better than I did, or perhaps, much little than I did. I looked back at Haymitch just about to ask all of my questions, but I see him get up, muttering to himself as he left, but he didn't realize that what he said, was loud enough for both of us to hear.

"Seems like history has a habit of repeating itself."

A/N: need feedback, I need to know if I am satisfying you guys =) , Don't be shy, it'll only take 2 minutes of your time. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

There was silence at breakfast the next morning, it had been one day after the reaping and I barely gotten any sleep. I could tell it probably showed on my face, and judging from my reflection I looked at this morning, it seemed as if I was the walking dead. My confirmations were made as well when I entered the dining cart, all three Effie, Haymitch, and Gale were already there and kept glancing my way as I ate. There was so much food to choose from, but Haymitch, Effie and I ate as if it was nothing, as for Gale, he only took a little bit of the servings on the table.

Haymitch seemed to have taken note of this, but said nothing about it. He just glanced at Gale from time to time, his eyes showing he distrusted Gale, or held resentment for him. Gale didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he did a great job of hiding it. He seemed so lost in his own world, just picking at his food, and swallowing almost painfully. Effie looked over him once or twice, but made no comment. I was making little predicaments of how he felt uncomfortable given food to eat, and not earning it after a hard day's work. He could be thinking about how his family is doing back in District 12, but I would never know, he always held his face in a way it was almost impossible for others to understand.

After Haymitch left the day before, Effie came back in a few moments later, and led us to our rooms, Gale spoke no words to me, and he seemed as if he was trying to make little to no contact at all with me. He could be trying to avoid me, so I might be an easier kill for him, or he may try to find something that he hates about me and could kill me off in the games quickly without having any regrets. When there was dinner, there was silence just like the next morning, no one talked, and it almost seemed to be choking my insides. Usually I wouldn't have minded, but when Gale was in the room, he made everything seem more, intense

"Stop picking at your food kid." Said Haymitch, who surprisingly wasn't drunk, and wasn't drunk yesterday at dinner as well. Gale in response scowled at him, but didn't throw any comments back at Haymitch, and went back to eating his food, which he had a hard time eating with a fork.

"Must you have no manners?" Effie commented, I looked up at her to see she wasn't speaking to me, but to Gale. What was their problem with Gale? He had done nothing wrong, he was never given any sort of treatment like this for all his life. He was trying to get accustomed to the lifestyle that was given to us for a short period of time.

"He's doing nothing wrong." I spoke up for him, before he could. I didn't want to look at him, for if I did he'd probably be giving me a glare indicating he doesn't need my help. Though it kept on bothering me on how Effie and Haymitch kept on picking on him, for the smallest things. Haymitch and Effie looked at me, with a little shock written in their faces, as if not expecting me for my little outburst. I wasn't either, I was known to be shy and quiet, and so this was new to them and to me.

"I don't need your help Undersee." I heard his voice, coming from beside me. I glanced at him, and then looked back down at my plate, which was now empty. I gave out a sigh, not willing to argue back, for if I did, it would've caused a disruption, and Gale would've hated me more, and would have more of a reason to kill me.

"I wasn't helping you." I lied. My intentions were to help him out, because I felt bad for him, that he didn't deserve to have Effie and Haymitch picking on him, and even though he said that I was quietly expecting it to happen. I also had to realize that this was not a way to think, if I helped Gale out right now, just because I felt bad for him, did it mean that I wouldn't kill any of my opponents, just because I felt bad for them?

"So, you two tell me your skills." Haymitch decided to intervene, I was getting sick of this little changing the topic. I wanted to have a full conversation with Gale without getting interrupted, he seemed to think that he always had the upper hand of the conversation, and it was getting irritating that I couldn't show my strong side.

As for the question Haymitch asked, I had to ponder on that one. I had already realized that I had no skills other than playing the piano and what good would that do? I could barely throw a ball back at school, and I couldn't pick up a boulder that weighed half as me. It would be pretty embarrassing to tell that to Haymitch. As on the other hand here we have Gale, a hunter, who can shoot an arrow, though not as talented as Katniss.

"I have been told I'm good at snares." Said Gale beside me, whose plate was empty as well. His words though is what truly caught my attention, he was good at snares? First archery and now snares? What's next?

"But do you _Believe _that you're good at it?" Haymitch replied back who now raised his eyebrows, as if challenging Gale to retort back. Which got Gale smirking, and made my heart skip a beat, I hadn't ever seen Gale like this. I had not seen Gale beyond his stoic position, even though I knew him over the years, I have seen him with little to no expression. He seems intimidating to talk to, but stories from Katniss had told me he isn't all that bad of a guy.

"I've been creating snares ever since I was fourteen, I haven't gotten it wrong ever since I was sixteen." Gale responded. I slowly exhale, as Haymitch falls back in to his chair. Realizing he lost this small argument, and moved his eyes to me.

"What about you, sweetheart?" his nickname that he had chosen for me didn't really bother me, but his question did. I had nothing to tell him, and now my heart sped faster as all three pairs of eyes were on me.

"I don't know…"I mumbled out, I didn't know what to say, I didn't even look at Haymitch's face, as it was probably filling up with disappointment, or something along those lines. So I looked down, at the palm of my hands not saying anything, but waiting for his reply.

"Oh come on! You have to have something you're good at Madge!" Effie commented, if she hadn't made that comment I wouldn't have realized that she was still in the room, she had been so quiet when Haymitch and Gale spoke earlier.

"I can play the piano, but I doubt that can get me anywhere on the field." I didn't know why I was saying this in front of Gale, now he knew my weaknesses, but then again… I knew his. This got me thinking, why would Haymitch ask this question in front both of us? What was he trying to get at?

"Who said anything about the arena being a field?" Haymitch finally stepped in, and a though immediately came in to my head.

"I can swim!" I said a little too joyfully, and got a little giggle from Effie. It was true though, when I was about seven years old, I was always to myself a lot, and my father told me to get out of the house to play once in a while, but it never worked, so he finally took me to this underground center, which held machinery, weapons, many obstacles, and a huge pool. Over the years I realized that it was a place where all the peacekeepers trained. For what exactly? I thought the peacekeepers trained back in Capitol or District 2 but at the time I held innocent thoughts, and believed that they didn't have enough room, back in District 2.

I went there to swim, and my father would usually leave me, and leave me in the hands of Zave. He was one of the instructors for this training camp, and would help me swim, and sometimes I would watch him teach others how to shoot. My father didn't want me to be there, after he realized I watched the future peacekeepers fight each other for future preferences. He believed 'I was too young to find the world to be an ugly place' even though it was.

"Now, we're getting some progress!" Haymitch commented with a grin on his face, my heart fluttered a little. I realized that, just maybe if we were put in perfect location, just maybe, the odds might be in my favor.

Haymitch, Gale and I sat later on that day on the couches. Effie was gone taking a shower, saying she felt filthy, and then I recalled her saying that the night before. We all shrugged at her logic.

So here we were discussing a plan that would work for the both me and Gale. The thought kept coming in to mind, why were Gale and I discussing it in front of each other? Wouldn't it be easier for us to track each other down, and kill the other person off? Or did Haymitch have another plan in mind?

"Do the both of you know how to fight?" It was beyond me to know why he would ask such a question. I already had told him, that I barely had any skills other than play the piano and knowing how to swim, he should've only asked Gale. But Gale refused to respond to Haymitch's, as for me, I never had anything to say for myself. The though bothered me, why didn't gale say anything, he was huge, he had muscles, and so the average person would think that he had at least fought once in his life, plus the fact that he hunted, which gave him more of an advantage, but he refused to say anything at all.

"Gale can take out a guy twice his size," I spoke for him. "If that was even possible" I added with a mutter but I was pretty sure they both heard it because they both shot me a look, Haymitch giving it in a questioning way. As for Gale, he looked at me with an expression that was almost unreadable.

"How would you know that?" Gale asked, which had my face heat up, and that only happened when I was blushing.

"Well… A fight broke out a couple of years back, during school, and you usually have everything under control, but there you were, in the middle of it… The guy you were fighting was huge, and well…you took him out." I stumbled over my words, and I knew by the end of my sentence I knew I was blushing like a tomato, because Haymitch looked like he was holding back howls of laughter. But Gale had a little smirk playing on his lips.

"You observed all of that?" Haymitch snickered like a child who was told not to tell a funny joke.

"I could've sworn barely anybody was there when that happened..." Gale added in, who as well was trying to hold back his laughter but was doing a bad job at it, as well as Haymitch.

"Sweetheart, you don't happen to have a little crush on the kid over here?"

This sent them both fits and howls of laughter, but I found nothing funny about it. I knew I was blushing to the core, because I felt it through every skin of my body. I just happened to be there at the time, when it happened. Gale ended up having a black eye, and I scurried off, and was left unseen.

"No! It's nothing like that" I tried to back myself up, but I doubt they heard me through their laughter, and personally I found nothing funny about this.

"Would you leave the poor girl alone?" Comes through Effie's voice behind me. That's the last thing I needed: Someone backing me up. Now Gale and Haymitch stopped laughing but had a little snickering here and there. I was beginning to silently be greatful she came to my rescue. "If she liked you, she would've avoided you, she seems to be that kind of girl."

She was speaking to Gale who had a teasing smile playing at his lips, and Haymitch just sat there, looking like an idea just popped in to his head…

"But… Effie, she does avoid talking to the kid." Haymitch laughed even louder, and this time Effie joined him, as for Gale, he had his own chuckle he was trying to hide. What was so funny? He was a part of the joke as well, but I was the main part of it. I groaned out loud.

"Shouldn't we be discussing more important matters?" I attempted to change the topic, which got their attention, and after a few minutes, their laughing ceased.

"So Madge tell us if you can fight?" Effie asked me, again in her cheery tone, I was starting to believe that the only way for her to talk, was in that voice.

"I only observed others from the past." I told her truthfully.

"So you're saying that you personally don't know how to attack."

"Not in any way." I replied, it was like telling myself I couldn't make it through the first day, nonetheless I still held faith in myself. "But I can catch on quickly. Plus I am hard to find!" I added in. Back in school, when we had to play hide in seek, it could be almost in possible for anybody else to find me, the other kids would quit the game, because it took too long to find me, there was a time when I was nine years old, and the other kids couldn't find me for six hours.

I was just so quiet, nobody could ever find me, or either forgot about me, and realize after a long while that I was there, playing with the other kids. It would be different this time, this time, these other tributes were trained, they knew this stuff, and perhaps they may use the same method as I did back when I was young. There was a girl that did that a few Hunger Games back, acted as if she was weak until the end, when she started killing mercilessly.

But in my situation, I was weak. She wasn't. When Gale and I head over to the Capitol, and begin our training, I should hurry up and find all my abilities, and try to perfect them in a short period of time. It was the only way for me to survive, unless I get more sponsors, who can aid me through the Hunger Games. Though I couldn't just rely on the sponsors, what would happen if I barely got any, it would resort to me having to survive on my own.

Later that day, which soon turned dark, Gale and I sat on the couches reviewing over the tributes. Gale and I watched them a couple times over, that night. At first it was to see who we were up against, and then we watched it over to see how they reacted to their names. It was embarrassing enough to watch myself get reaped, and to have Gale sitting beside me, making no comments, gave me a little nervous feeling. When Effie called out my name, I saw myself go pale, and saw myself holding back many tears, but as soon as Gale's name was called, I saw a tear escape.

Gale had no reaction, for if he did, we would never know because his face held the same stoic expression he had before he was reaped. I was there in person, and what I saw was something different. I saw the anger, and sadness flash through his eyes, even though it was a brief moment of it. I said nothing about it, and he didn't say anything about me either. As we looked over the other tributes, I couldn't help but remember some of their faces, and looked over to see their body.

There was a little girl from district 11, who went by the name of Rue. She was so tiny, and her little body looked so fragile, I almost burst in to tears when her name was called. When they asked for any volunteers, the question met dead silence. I wondered how long could she go through the game for, I didn't even want to know. She just seemed to be so innocent, and didn't deserve to be in the Hunger Games, or she was too fragile for this harsh world.

There were also other tributes that caught my eyes. There was Cato and Clove from District 2, who looked like fighting was their second nature. They looked almost happy to be reaped, smiling smugly, which made my stomach churn in response. There was a beautiful blond named Glimmer, and a boy with dark brown hair, and a little too lanky to be able to fight, from District 1. Then there was Thresh, who was large, in muscle. He was from district 11, he seemed to be huge standing beside Rue, he looked, buff, and could pick anybody up, with barely any effort, he seemed like he could take on Gale, and possibly win. Plus the look on his face, who seemed to have held strength, in his stoic position.

As Gale and I watched the reaping, we made no effort to talk to one another, and halfway through I got a little craving for strawberries. I did that a lot back home, I would always wake up in the middle of the night, with little cravings, and it could have been anything. Right now I had a craving from strawberries, so I glanced over at the table, and relieved to see that the Capitol train did hold late night snacks, and inwardly jumped for joy. As I got up, Gale looked at me.

"Where are you going?" Were the first words he said to me that night, it shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. Here we were not even speaking to each other, but as soon as I get up he decides to say something to me? At the back of my mind I thought that maybe we silently enjoyed each other's company even if we didn't talk, I did think like that. I didn't want to, we were going to be sent to the Hunger Games, to kill off one another, but here I am enjoying his company, and silently hoping he enjoyed mine.

"Just getting a midnight snack" I replied, and left to walk over by the table. There was a bowl filled with strawberries, and had chocolate dip beside it. I smiled to myself remembering the last time I had chocolate. It was when I was ten years old, and my father had just comeback from a meeting from the Capitol, he had been gone for a long time, leaving me alone with my mother, and our caregiver Lina.

He had been gone for months in time, and I missed him a lot, it was around the time where he stopped me swimming with Zave. But then he was gone, and so from time to time, I would head over there and swim and Zave would also teach me how to punch somebody, he told me I should have tested on him, and when I did, I was the one who ended up with a broken middle finger. By the time my father got back, my finger was bruised up, and I told him I fell during school, and he believed me. Though he didn't comeback empty handed.

He came back with boxes of chocolate, back in district 12 we didn't have chocolate and sweets such as the people in the Capitol do. We have pine mints, which can never compare to the heavenly sweets the Capitol gave. 'It costs a lot,' my father told me. So he rarely brought it whenever he would comeback from his long trips to Capitol. Plus he would always comeback looking distressed, as if he didn't know what to do. So I rarely spoke to him when he did.

I took the bowl of strawberries, and chocolate dip, among the others sweets that I had never seen before and that didn't catch my eyes as the way strawberries and chocolate did. I walked back to the couch with Gale, who seemed to be deep in thought, and didn't notice me until I sat down. I dipped the strawberries in the chocolate, and took a bite. The rich taste of the sweet chocolate filled my taste buds, along with the strawberries, which were among my favorite fruits, it took a lot not to let a moan come through my mouth.

Gale would glance at me from time to time, from the TV to me, it went in a pattern. At first I thought nothing of it, but he constantly would move his eyes over to me, it made me feel insecure. I looked back at him and finally caught him staring at me through his dead grey eyes.

"You want some?" I offered to him. It was then he fully turned his head to me

"What is that?" he finally uttered out with his deep voice.

"Strawberries." I told him, and wished I could take my words back, because it was him and Katniss who delivered strawberries to my house. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I know that. I meant the other thing," he replied.

"This is chocolate." I told him, but what I said seemed too vague so I added in "It's a sweet."

"They never sold those in District 12."

"My father sometimes would have his meetings held in Capitol, and when he would comeback sometimes, he'd bring back chocolates. I have been in love with them ever since." I told him, and wished I hadn't. For he was giving me an amused look. I have been known for being shy and quiet Madge Undersee. It didn't mean that I never spoke in full sentences. "Want some?" I added in not caring of the expression he gave me.

"No." he said with a little lightness added to his voice, it made me smile and want to retort right back.

"It's your loss." I told him playfully, and with a shrug.

"It won't be all that great as you say it to be." He says. In response I narrowed my eyes at him, which he chuckled to, and caused my stomach to do a little flip.

"Try it!" I pushed the two bowls towards him, at first he seemed to be hesitant, but never let it show on his way, but his hands slowly made a reach for the strawberries. He dipped half of it in to the chocolate dip, and took a bite. He chewed it slowly, as if trying to decipher what it tasted like.

"So is it good?" I asked a little too eagerly, it was a little weird acting like this in front of him, it was weird acting like this at all. What happened to the shy Madge? I didn't have time to dwell in my own thoughts for Gale was looking at me with a concentrated look on his face, it made me want to blush and look away but, I held my ground and looked at him with curiosity. "Well?"

"What is this stuff?" he said looking down at the bowl filled with chocolate. It was hard to tell it he liked it or not.

"Chocolate." I gave him a shy smile responding to his little question that he asked moments ago, then added "How does it taste?"

"It's fucking amazing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sunlight shined through the window that I forgot to close last night. It was unfortunate for me, for I had to adjust to the blinding light, after a few moments of adjustments I got up and went in the shower. Back home, in District 12, I would have a shower in my house, so there wasn't much of a difference, the sink back home, and on the Capitol train seemed to have held none to little difference as well. It didn't bother me, it reminded me of home, and perhaps small similarities such as these, is what keeps me sane.

As soon as I got out of the shower, I brushed my teeth, as well as my hair and stepped out of the shower, wearing a nice royal blue long sleeved shirt, and black cargo pants. It was the only thing that reminded me of my mood, the other colors in my dresser were all bright, and seemed to be making fun of me. It said that they were happy, and as for the clothes I was wearing currently, clearly stated my mood.

I stepped out of my room, and headed down the hall, and in to the dining room. Haymitch, Effie, and Gale seemed to be already there, they seemed to be doing that a lot lately. If they woke up so early, how come they couldn't have the common courtesy to wake me up as well? As I sat down in my chair beside Gale, I noticed how he was wearing a grey long sleeved top, and black cargo pants. It reminded me of what I was wearing. I didn't dwell on the thought too much, because I also noticed the air in this room, felt too intense, once again.

"You two have a wonderful style!" Effie commented sarcastically, of course she didn't like what I was wearing, she seemed to be the type that wore bright colors, and stood out, no matter how she felt. I wasn't like that… It felt as if I was saying I was happy that I got chosen to fight for my death, even though we all know I will die.

"Yes, it brings out the color in your eyes, sweetheart." If Haymitch was mocking Effie, he was doing a really bad job at it, because it seemed as if he actually meant the comment, but added humor to it as well. It was weird how Haymitch only said my nick name, implying that the comment was for me, and only me. But what about Gale?

"Thanks…" I said almost in an inaudible voice, I didn't know what to say, so I just thanked him, taking his words for literal. As I began putting scrambled eggs on my plate, and pancakes, Effie decided to voice her opinion.

"Look Madge, you may be a great sight to see for the eyes, but for the ears, not so much." I didn't know how to respond to that, I couldn't help but be silent. I had been like this almost all my life. It was beginning to make me uncomfortable, that she always had to say a comment about everything, but I said nothing against it.

"Well… That's just who I am." I respond back, but a little louder this time, then took a fork full of eggs.

"Do you not feel comfortable with us?" Effie pushed on with the topic. I didn't like how the attention was on me, it wasn't usual. I had always kept me to myself, and others put me in that position too. The conversation was rarely ever on me, but nowadays, seemed like a change of plans.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was told before by a great friend of mine, that the only reason shy people exist is because they don't seem to be comfortable with a specific person, place, or thing." She said, in her jolly voice.

"Uh well…"

"Aha! You are uncomfortable!"

"Effie, I don't think you pointing that out is helping her" Gale surprisingly interferes. Though I have to be really grateful, for I didn't know how to respond to her.

…

I gasp in a great a great amount of air as Venia rips out a strip of hair from my leg. Venia, who is a woman, that seems to speak freely to whomever without taking their feelings in to consideration, but nonetheless has a heart. She has aqua blue hair, and golden tattoos just above her eyebrows, and for some odd reason it makes her look attractive, rather than ridiculous.

"Oh hush, little buttercup, you don't have much hair on your body to begin with." She tells me with her Capitol accent. I grit my teeth, as she continues on with her job, as I sat there in pain.

There in the Capitol's Remake Center, for the past four hours, an hour gone in to waste due to me not complying to get a makeover for there was rumors it hurts. The rumors did not lie. My stylist has yet to see me, he didn't want to, he wanted his assistants taking care of the basics, such as removing almost ever hair on my body, but it seemed as if my prep team didn't need to, according to Venia, but still did it anyway, just in case.

"You have beautiful skin, Madge! I would do wonders with that!" Commented Flavius, a man, who wore purple lipstick, and that alone had caught my attention.

"Stand up little lady, we have to see if we have to make any more adjustments to you." Said Octavia, who had a pale green complexion to her skin. I stood up, there in my naked body, as the three looked around for any hair on my body, and gratefully didn't find any.

"You look so pretty Madge!" Venia comments with a big smile on her face, I am still grateful for the fact that they call me Madge, and not by my actual name, even though I begged the three to do so. It reminded me of who I really was. Margaret Undersee was the one who played by the rules of the Hunger Games, who got chose to be in the Hunger Games. Madge was the real me, the one the Capitol could not reach.

"You have cooperated so well Madge, it's certainly better than the other tributes before you." Flavius commented, and it angered me. They spoke of the other tributes as if they were nothing, as if they died for nothing. But it was true, they died bending to the rules of Capitol. So in the end… to the Capitol, the lost tributes were worth nothing.

The only reason I was actually cooperating was because of Haymitch who told me, to stay calm, and not yell at my prep team for causing me so much pain, for they knew what they were doing. Even though in the beginning of my makeover, I was not willing to abide by these Capitol rules.

"Come on Madge I'll take you to Cinna, your stylist, we think you're ready." Octavia smiled and winked at me. After she walked out the door, followed by the other members of my prep team, I decided to put on my robe. It made me feel weak and vulnerable in front of Capitol and I didn't want that. But I already knew it was coming. Cinna was going to make me take it off. But I still kept the robe on.

Cinna walked in through the doorway, alone. He appears to be a young man, with a close-cropped haircut with a natural shade of brown. He wore a simple black shirt and pants. He wore gold eyeliner, that seemed to be in the most perfect shape, and seemed to fit his green eyes.

"Hello Margaret, I'm Cinna, your stylist." He said in a calm deep voice, that seemed to suit him, and lacked the Capital accent.

"Hi… Just call me Madge." I said timidly. I played with my fingers. A habit of mine, whenever I got a little too shy, it was beyond me to know why I did, with someone with a person like Cinna, who looked so calm and friendly.

Cinna seemed to take note of this and smiled a graceful smile. He stood there, and sent a light chuckle, and murmured something to himself along the lines of 'He was right.'

"Why don't you take you robe off for me _Madge_." He suggested in his light voice, as if holding a light humor behind it. It made me smile to myself, and did what he had asked.

"You're new?" I asked, as he circled around my body, I hadn't seen him in the Hunger Games before my own stylists had a habit to show themselves off to the Capitol, but in the years before I had not seen him. Inspecting to see any flaws are left, he then started to look at my hair, which was kept in a high ponytail, and gave me a fiercer look, giving me a look of what I am not.

"You could say that." He replied back, and added something onto the ponytail, whatever it was, it tingled my neck, and gave off a feeling going down my spine.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been around. Just not in the games." Before I could ask him any more questions, he interrupted me "Why don't you put on your robe, and then we'll have a chat."

I complied, and he led me in to a sitting room. There were two velvet couches, two walls left entirely blank, one is a window, to look at Capitol which was bustling around with people, with crazy styles and certainly did stand out, and the last one is a mirror. I saw that he put a hair ornament in my ponytail that had the affect of falling red, orange, yellow sparks, falling down on my robe, but causing nothing to burning. It was beautiful.

I sat down on one of the couches, and Cinna sat across from me, pressing a button. A table rose up, from the ground holding food on it. It had mashed potatoes, spring rolls, two black colorful drinks, as well as purely white grain, and a whole cooked chicken, sitting in the middle of our meal.

"Haymitch has told me a lot about you." Cinna tells me, in his soft, but deep voice. I look up to him, almost astonished. A drunken man, by the name of Haymitch has spoken about… me? "He spoke very highly of you." Cinna added in.

It was almost as if I couldn't breathe anymore. Haymitch spoke highly of me. Then he must've spoke to Portia- Gale's stylist- that he was almost god-like material.

"Well... Sorry to disappoint you." I mumbled out, my voice almost cracking. I didn't look Cinna in the eyes, but started to take out my food.

"No. _Madge_ I can see why he speaks very highly of you. The fire in your eyes says it all." He said almost soothingly. "You have a colorful personality Madge. I can tell you're very strong. That's why, at the Opening Ceremony we're going to show your true colors."

I looked up at Cinna. Shocked at his words, ever since I had gotten in the Capitol, The people from here had been giving me hard time, it was hard putting up with them. Acting as if everything was a joke, acting as if I was going to the Hunger Games, and fighting for my life, was just a game. Thinking about it, made me realize to them it's all just a game, to the Capitol at least. Life's a game. But for our districts. It's fighting for survival.

….

It was moment before the Opening Ceremony, and there I stood in a shiny black unitard, neck to ankle, and with beautiful laced up shining black boots. With my shimmering ponytail, and make-up that defines more of my cheekbones, and making me look fierce, but it isn't too overdone, so all of Panem can see me, not for Margaret, the girl who was chosen you go for the Hunger Games. But Madge. The girl who does not bend by the rules of Capitol.

Gale and I meet up in the Remake Center, in the bottom level. He is in an identical outfit as me, and surprisingly, he looks handsome in it, the thought made me blush. The pairs of tributes get in to their own chariots, including me and Gale. Portia and Cinna help us get in ours. Which contains four horse's dark as night, and representing District 12.

I looked around look at other districts and their opening ceremony costumes that seemed to beat ours just by looking at it. The thought made me nervous. People in all of Panem wouldn't even look at Gale or me.

"I'm pretty sure they have something in mind." Gale tells me, judging from my discomfort that could be identified from a mile away. I just nodded back at him, hopefully giving the impression that I believed him, but my posture said otherwise.

"Okay when both of you get out there, I want you two to hold hands. And lift them up, chins high, smile. Welcome the crowd." Says Portia.

"Stay calm at all times. Do not freak out, everything is under control, even though it may not feel like it." Cinna added in, and the thought scared me.

The tributes from District 1, with pure with as snow horses, and gems on the tributes body, and sparkling. They look breath-taking. We can hear the roar of the crowd, as the stepped out of the Remake Center, District 1 had a habit of stealing all of Panem's hearts with the Opening Ceremony.

Soon District 2 followed, and in no time, it's our turn. I look back at Cinna, and he taps his chin, telling me to hold my head up high. I turn back around to face the crowd, my heart read to pop out of my chest. But I held but chin up high, and felt myself trembling.

Just before we were sent out, Gale takes e by the hand, and keeps his cold, calloused ones, tightly secured around mine. It gives me a sense of security. I gave it a squeeze back, and then we're off.

At first the crowd has their focus on the District before us, then Gale raises up his arms, along with our intertwined fingers, and I following up as well, with our chin held up high. Then all of a sudden from our arms, backs, there is something attached to it, it has a hole allowing something to escape. Fire.

It releases itself from our arms and shots up in to the air, catching everyone's attention, the fire ball in the sky explodes, sending out multiple warm colors out, and leaving stardust behind, and sprinkling down on Gale and I. The process kept repeating and I kept Cinna's words in my head, and keeping in mind to comment on his work. I held my chin up high, and smiled at the crowd. Soon I figured out what they were really saying, through all the fire, explosions. I heard the cheer, for District 12.

I looked over at Gale, who looked down at me, and we sent each other a relieved smile. Before our gazes were sent out to the crowd who were cheering our District name. I finally sent a blow kiss out to the crowd, and people cheer more, asking for more. I hear Gale chuckle beside me. The crowd soon starts to call out Gale's name, as well as mine. It gave me quite a shock to learn that they wanted me, boring old Madge.

The president gives a welcome in the balcony above us, as the screen passes through all Districts. The lights dim, and with all the star dust surrounding me and Gale, it's hard to _not _notice our shimmering selves. The anthem plays, and all the Districts soon making one last round, and the camera stays on us for most of the time, as more fire shoots in the sky, and shimmers down on us.

As soon as the door closes off behind us, Gale and I are helped by Cinna and Portia, who helped us get off our chariot. Gale and I pry our fingers off of each other, and I suddenly am missing the coolness, and protective feeling of his hand. Our prep team engulfs us, sending their most wonderful comments to us. I look over to Gale, and find him smirking back at me.

"What?" I asked him, through all the commotion, it was actually amazing that he heard me.

"You should've seen yourself." I giggled lightly, I must've looked like a child discovering candy, when the fire set out.

"Oh hush." I told him, and then continued. "Thank you." With a light smile.

"For what?" he asked, slightly baffled.

"For being there." I told him with a light blush on my cheek, judging the way the heated up a little. Then slightly remembering the way my hand tightly secured by his, it gave me a soft sense of protection. Gale laughed.

"Well, Undersee, I had no other choice." I giggled with him, shaking my head at my own stupidity, but I couldn't help but feel happy, and somewhat accomplished that I shared a laugh with Gale Hawthorne.

**A/N: Sorry I didn't have time to edit this chapter … My sincere apologies go to you guys. I am sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy, unfortunately = (. I want to hear your feedbacks, on how the opening ceremony worked out. I felt as if Katniss should have still been the girl on fire. So I got Gale and Madge to do something different. I hope this satisfies you guys. Please I need to know if you guys like this story. Thank you for reading =). **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The training center, my new home for now, I'll have to stay there until the games begin. I didn't like the sound of that, Capitol would never be my home, even though it had luxurious items, it doesn't have the warm feeling you get in your own house. The training center is a large building, where it consists of each district having one floor to themselves. To get to your floor you, basically have to press a button, in the elevator, the button will have the number of your district, and it'll take you there.

My room in Capitol is bigger than the room I have back home, it has more technology as well. My room, had been plain and simple, just the way I like it, but here in capitol, there has to be a gadget for the smallest things; how soft you want your bed to be, the shower alone has around fifty buttons, asking what you want to satisfy your needs. I don't even have to brush my hair any more, there is a gadget for that as well. Looking at the all the difference between my home, and Capitol's it makes us look like we're- my family- just commoners.

There I sit on the bed, lost in thought when Effie decides to knock on my door, and calls me for dinner. My stomach had been growling for hours now, and I can't seem to figure out what its craving.

As I come out in to the dining room, there I see, Gale, Cinna, Portia, and Haymitch, who surprisingly is sober. Back in the Hunger Games before this year, the cameras would always focus on Haymitch from time to time. Who seemed to be drunk most of the time, he was even drunk at the opening ceremony, but nowadays he sobered up, and expeditiously as well.

Effie and I join them, and sit down. Cinna and Portia joined the civilized conversation with Haymitch and Effie, while Gale and I stay silent. Well mostly me, Gale speaks up, and voices out his opinion and asks questions from time to time, often actually.

Halfway though our meal, a girl sets a glorious looking vanilla cake, that I have set my eyes on. Throughout the meal, I barely spoke up, and barely ate anything at all, but nobody seemed to notice. It was fine with me. Now this cake has come along, not to mention vanilla, which would always be my favorite, on a cake.

Back home, on my birthdays my father would order a cake, a vanilla cake. It wasn't as big as the one they served in Capitol. It was something that kept me content no less. My birthday parties were never big. It would only be me, my mother, and father, Lina, and Zave would come by saying that some situation came up, and Zave needed to inform my father, but he was really there for me. That always brought a smile upon my face.

"What's your name?" A deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts. The voice belonged to Gale. I knew that because, when I looked up everyone ceased to talk, and only looked a Gale with a deep frown that marred their faces, including the girl who he intended the question to.

"She an Avox, a person who has committed a crime, and they cut off her tongue so she can't speak." Haymitch answered sharply.

"You wouldn't know her, now would you, Gale?" Effie questions.

"But-"before Gale can say anything more, I decided to step in, knowing where this conversation can lead to.

"She looks so familiar. Kind of reminds me of Delly." I said, interrupting him but not harshly. I pulled a name right off from somewhere in school, a girl I used to know. She was a girl, who seemed to smile at everybody, and seemed so approachable, but we were never friends.

Gale caught on what I was trying to indicate to him, if he didn't quiet down about the avox girl, then Haymitch, Effie, Portia, and Cinna would begin to believe he did something illegal, in his time in District 12. Even though he did, we wouldn't want them to know that.

"Yeah... I guess." He replied almost sounding solemn. I would never know though, because I was not looking at him but the stares being _given _to him. Haymitch was giving him a look filled with distrust, but that was not out of the normal. There was Effie who was looking with a deep set frown upon her face, Cinna and Portia were acting like it wasn't bothering them, but I could tell from their faces, it was.

I was beginning to feel angry at how everybody treated Gale, acting as if he was a dirty animal sitting in that chair. Acting as if he wasn't a human being at all, but there was so much more to him that met the eye. I may have not known Gale personally, but I know him enough to know he doesn't like being treated like that, but he said nothing, for reasons of his own and I would never know them. It angered me that I wasn't speaking up on his behalf, I was just tired of him being treated like something he's not.

My thoughts drifted to the reaping, and his comforting hand around mine, giving it a little squeeze, as if trying to say 'it's okay Madge.' It probably was something little for him but a gesture that helped me from breaking, in front of Panem.

"I think you'll do great tomorrow." I said to him, referring to the training session. "Just show all the other districts what you're made of Gale."

"Don't underestimate them Madge, they're your enemy." He said with a slight look of astonishment. I knew Effie, and the others had a similar look to his, probably thinking, why I was praising such a _beast_ like him.

"So _will_ you." I retorted back to him, and Effie let out a gasp. Haymitch looked like he was going to interrupt, judging from the corner of my eye. I still held Gale's gaze though, it seemed to be unreadable, but my eyes didn't falter form his grey orbs. "May the odds be ever in your favor, Gale."

I stood up muttering out an 'excuse me', not turning back but walking back to my room, and silently hoping Gale got my message through… Saying _'it's alright for you to kill me.'_

…

'It was the inevitable' I thought. I knew that I put myself as a weak target in front of Gale, but he knew I was an easy target the second _I_ was chosen for the reaping. He didn't know me, though he knew me well enough I didn't have anything up my sleeves. Still, above all of that, having no strength, no tricks, barely any agility at all to fight, I still held hope. I wasn't going to die without a fight, my death was going to happened in the Hunger Games, but I refuse to let it go to waste. Dying for nothing was not a part of my agenda.

"Wake up Madge, breakfast is ready!" I heard Effie call from the hallway, the call was unneeded. I didn't even bat an eyelash during the night, too many thoughts were stuck in my head not willing to get out and helping me get proper rest. I wasn't getting proper rest for a while nor a proper meal, I tried to get shut eye, only to be awoken by disturbing thoughts.

I got up, threw on a simple grey shirt, with black pants then headed to the bathroom. As I stared at myself through the mirror I realized how the bags under my eyes were starting to look more noticeable, that how I was not looking at Madge anymore. It was a girl. No. She looked too lost to be one. She seemed a little more skinnier to be Madge.

I snapped out of my thoughts and went back to business. I stepped out of my room, a couple minutes later, and heading to the dining room. I found Cinna, Portia, Haymitch, Effie, and Gale already sitting there, and noticing what he matched what I was wearing, but saying nothing about it. Anger seeped through me, but I said nothing of it. Ever since day one, they –everyone- seemed to having the habit of bringing me to the conversation last. As if I was the one that mattered _least_.

I sat down, and everyone began eating the contents on the table, I joined them as well, and having my anger subside.

"Madge? Have you been sleeping well lately..?" Effie asked out, the silence diminishing.

"Yeah." I lied. Acting as if I didn't know what she was talking about, I asked "What makes you say that?

"Madge, you don't have to lie to us. We don't bite." She told me. I looked up to meet her dark blue eyes piercing through me, and contrasting with her magenta eye shadow. I took a deep breath before mumbling:

"Nightmares." It was a white lie. My thoughts were nightmares nowadays, I always thought about what will happened to me in the Hunger Games, so that counted for a nightmare… right?

"The Careers are going to take you down like an easy target, if you keep on wasting your time." Gale replied. I said nothing back to him.

"Ignore him Madge." Effie intervened, and all of a sudden a wave of frustration falls over me. I really did like Effie, Haymitch, Cinna, Portia, they've been nice to me ever since I have come to Capitol- no. They've been nice since the moment I've met them, it seems too off, as if they're taking the Hunger Games as if it is a big joke. Like I'm _not_ just a big meal for the careers, when I am.

"No. Gale's right, sweetheart you need to build your strength up if you want to survive." So when Haymitch uttered those words, I never had loved a man even more than him at that moment. "You are strong, Madge we can see that. Cinna did a great job of showing that to Panem too."

"I just did it because I knew the moment I saw you Madge, you were _special_." Cinna added. As I stared at all of them, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. They all held hope, for _me_. I felt my eyes prickle, but forced down my tears. I couldn't help but think as to why they held so much hope, within a tiny girl like me. A girl who couldn't even lift up a bow, without breaking her wrist.

"Thanks… a lot." I said, giving all of them my warmest smile.

…

There I stood, among other tributes from other districts on the ground floor of the building, in the training center. It was a huge gymnasium filled with weapons and different obstacle for each tribute to try on. We are all dressed alike in our training uniform, with our district numbers written in the back of our tops. As Atala, a woman who is head of the training center explains the rules to us. We are not allowed engage and combat with other district, if we want somebody to practice on, you practice on the assistance at every station.

There were also other rules such as we were allowed to go to different stations, to which ever we choose. There are stations that help us survive, and there are other ones that help us fight in various forms. As Atala speaks about more rules, I blank out and look around at the different tributes.

All of them are bigger than me, except for two, both in height and width. Even though they have never actually ate properly, or had an actual decent meal before the reaping they all looked built, and well fed as if they were preparing themselves for the worst. I know I should have done so as well, but I was too busy moping around in my own misery, and this was my chance to get better, even though it was short.

"What station are you going to?" asked Gale, who towered himself beside me. I looked up at him, giving him a questioning look.

"Does it matter? You do your thing and I do mine." I told him a little too harshly, but he just replied with a scowl written on his face. My theories of him trying to ignore me, diminishing.

"You wouldn't even make it five miles, looking like that."

"So what do you plan to do? Help me?"

"That's right." I gave him a startled look, but he just chuckled, and grabbed my thin wrist in his big lean hands and pulled me to the shooting range station. I looked up at him, with my eye bulging out of my sockets.

"I can't d-do that!" I squeaked out, but it almost resembled a whisper. Gale just gave me a look, before picking out two bows and two quivers that held fifteen arrows.

"C'mon Undersee." He said. If it was supposed to be reassuring, it wasn't. I looked around to see other tributes doing their own business, and not talking to one another, not even making contact with their own districts tribute. I looked back at Gale, wondering why he was so stuck up on helping me, let alone talking to me. Gale let out a sigh, and drew out one of his arrows and pointed it to his target, I saw how his arms flexed and his muscles stood out.

"Look, at my stance, "I did. I observed everything, to the grasp of the bow, all the way down to the positioning of his leg, memorizing every aspect of it. It took me a while, before I said:

"Okay, shoot." He complied and the arrow swiftly glided through the air and in to the center of that target, but a little off. "Okay…now you try."

So there I stood, trying to stand in the position Gale was in moments before, and pointing my arrow right at the center of the target, and I shot. I recoiled back, and stumbled lightly. I looked up and saw that the arrow itself had gotten nowhere near the center of the target, but rather at the ends of it. I heard Gale chuckle beside me, and my face grew beat red, as I looked around to see if anybody else saw, but nobody seemed to look our way.

"What's so funny?" I asked as anger seeped through my muffled voice.

"You're too tense." He told me, with a little smile lingering on his lips. He then told me to reposition myself as I was before. When I did, he gently touched my shoulders and pushed down on them lightly.

"Madge, you gotta' be a little looser." I nodded, but his hands were the problem. Why was he touching me so gently, so softly, to the point I had butterflies flittering in my stomach? Usually his touch wouldn't provoke anything within me, but then again, the only contact we ever shared was nothing beyond holding hands. "Madge?"

"Yeah?" I snapped out of my unwanted thoughts, a light blush came across my cheeks. This wasn't supposed to happened, I thought. I felt my cheeks burning up, I'm pretty sure Gale did too, but didn't acknowledge it, or maybe he didn't.

"C'mon Madge. Are you more than just a mayor's daughter?" he said, as if trying to provoke me, if he was, then it was working. I emitted a little sound, as if saying:

'_Yes, I am more than just a mayor's daughter_.'

"Then prove it." I felt his hands leave my shoulders, I was already beginning to miss his touch, but at that moment, I was too busy focusing.

"Prove that you're more than _just_ Margaret Undersee." Focus. Focus. Breathe.

"Prove that you're…" Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale

'_I am Madge.'_ I shot.

"Madge." I looked up at my target.

I hit the center dead on.

…

"And she shot. She hit is dead on." Gale told the others with a grin on his face, at the dinner table that night. I never have seen him with such a smile on his face, it made my heart flutter, and I decided from then. That I liked Gale's smile.

"Madge! I'm so proud of you!" Effie squeaked out, after she finished her mouthful of food, and made sure to wipe her mouth with a napkin.

"See sweetheart, you should give yourself some more credit." Haymitch commented with a light smile playing upon his lips.

"I'm so proud but, how did you learn so fast Madge?" Cinna's smooth as a piano's voice asked. This question, got me thinking, how did I do it? I don't know.

"I just focused on the target and I shot…" I mumbled out, I said while I played around with my food, not meeting their gazes...

"Oh, Honey you got to stop doing that." I looked to see that Effie was speaking to me, I looked around at the others to have them looking down at their food, and eating away as if they didn't hear her.

"Do what?" I asked rather stupidly.

"Mumbling. Stop being so shy Madge. Open up. We don't bite, in fact I want to know what's so bad about us in the first place that makes you not open up to us." I didn't know how to respond so I told her:

"My mother told me that a lot." I said. "She said that I had a habit not telling anybody anything, closing everybody off." I took a deep breath "It's just...Never mind." I stopped myself, it was weird how everybody was so quiet. Listening to me, Katniss was the only one that ever did that.

"It's okay, sweetheart you don't have to tell us." I looked up at Haymitch, through my blurry eyes. It seemed that nowadays I had a habit to cry. A lot.

"I'm sorry. Excuse me." I stood up, and left.

…

I sat there lying in my bed, as I gazed up at the stars through the window above me, that seemed to be rarely there, but you can catch glimpses of the stars from time to time, it was the only thing that lit up my room.. It seemed as if it was another night, that I wouldn't fall asleep again. It's not nightmares that consume me, it's more like my thoughts. They keep telling me the worst of the worst, at first I tried to fend them off, but it ended off in vain.

I let out a sigh, as I let thoughts consume me once again, during dinner, I had almost confronted to everybody as to why I kept to myself a lot. Being the mayor's daughter, you would have expected a politician's way of thinking. No, I was nothing like that. I was just boring _Margaret_.

There was a knock at the door. I thought it was Effie, thinking maybe that it was morning already, and once again I let my thoughts absorb me rather than sleep. I looked up at my window, seeing that it was still night, and that Capitol's lights still shined. As I opened the door, there stood somebody in the darkness of the hallways, somebody I hadn't expected to see.

Gale.

"I knew you'd be awake." He said, I just gave him small smile, hoping he'd see it.

"Is that all you came for?"

"No." It was hard enough that my heart was leaping in circles, but as his deep set of grey eyes staring me down made me feel claustrophobic.

"You want to come in?" I asked almost above a whisper. In response he walked in, I just closed the door behind him, and when I turned around to see what he was doing, and I saw him lying down on my bed, on his back, gazing at the stars, or what it appeared. I laid down beside him, gazing up at the stars as well, and hoping that he wouldn't take it in the wrong way.

I liked it better this way. The fact that Gale was beside me, gave me much more comfort than having nobody at all. Even though we didn't speak, as we just gazed at the stars that were scarcely there, his warmth was enough, to make all the bad thoughts go away. Just being here, it gave me a protective field, as if nothing would hurt me anymore, as if nothing was _wrong_.

"How come you're so quiet?" he asked out in a voice that seemed to be barely even there, but it broke the silence between us

"What do you mean?"

"Every time we- Me, Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, and Portia sit together, you're always so quiet." He explained.

"I could say the same for you." I laughed a humorless laugh. This seemed to provoke Gale.

"I talk more than you, surprisingly..." He told me a little harshly, but I didn't let that affect me.

"Am I not the 'Madge' you expected?" I said, as I turned to him, gazing at his eyes that seemed to be distant, and staring off in to the stars. After a few moments, we met each other's gaze. Strikingly piercing blue clashing with unfathomable bottomless grey, which made my heart leap.

"No. You aren't." He told me with honest eyes.

"Well… I'm sorry." I said, breaking eye contact with him, and looking back up in to the stars, that seemed to be vanishing by the minute. Gale didn't seem to reply, but I still felt his eyes on me. "What did you expect?"

"A girl, who seemed to get everything that she wants, full of herself, cries a lot-"I snorted at that. "Nothing like you." This made me turn my head back in his direction. It suddenly felt like the room was tiny, leaving me again, claustrophobic, as his unreadable grey eyes washed over me.

"It's…"

"What happened, Madge?" He asked a little too gently. "What's wrong?"

"My mother…" I croaked out. "I never got to say good-bye to her."

"Well…" He seemed to be deep in thought, as if he not knowing what he was going to say next was right. "When you win, you can spend all your time with her."

His words should have surprised me that he believed that I could make it, but it didn't.

"You don't get it." I choked out, holding back my tears. "My mother is… she's sick. As in she can't be treated. No matter what… My father tried, in every way possible to help her, but she's sick, she's dying." A few tears seeped through my eyes. "That's why… almost all of my childhood, I spent it with her. Not knowing when she'll leave, but she's always sleeping, because she always gets headaches." It was beyond me to know how Gale still understood me, as I poured out everything, including my tears.

"I'm sorry." I coughed. "I'm so selfish, I'm so sorry." How could I be thinking of myself when Gale, who has lost a father, who has to take care of a family who depend on him, that he left back home in District 12.

Gale, who hadn't said a word ever since I had my confession moments before, made me feel even guiltier. What if he hated me even more? What if he agreed that I was selfish? Then I came to the conclusion, it's for the better. We weren't supposed to be here, telling our pasts to each other, or one-sided in this situation. Either way, it was wrong, we weren't supposed to be here. We were supposed to hate one another, so it'd be easier to bear the guilt, when the job was done.

Then… all of a sudden I felt a pair of lean arms surround me, one at the back of my head, and the other at the small of my back. Those pairs of arms pulled me closer to the owner, as my heart sped faster by the second.

"It's alright Madge. I'm right here." He said.

His words are what lulled me to sleep. It was quiet, as those nights before. Him being here made a huge difference, his warmth, protection, and security. As I dozed off, my last thought made me smile to myself:

He hadn't called me by my last name.

**A/N: Sorry for my laziness, I feel horrible. I have not been feeling well lately, due to the amount of work given at school, and how that is coming to a closure (soon enough) XD. I can't wait. =) Hope you like it. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter , it would be greatly appreciated, as it was in the chapters before this one =).**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

…

'_I believed in you, sweetheart.'_

…

As I climbed up the rope in the training center, I realized how it was harder than it looked. I was only above the ground, and halfway up the rope when my arms began to ache, it was either the fact that I took too long to climb, and my arms could not bear it any longer, or the fact that my arms were weak from the beginning, or maybe even weaker than I thought.

I made a move to grasp higher, and get myself to the top, but once again, my aching arms consumed my motive. I didn't want to look weak though, even though I was not looking down at the other tributes beneath me, I could still feel several pairs of eyes on me. Hopefully Gale wouldn't be one of them, and then my thoughts came to a halt.

Gale.

I had finally gotten some sleep last night, my thoughts being driven off, and comforting Gale beside me. I had thought that maybe I had gotten through Gale's shell as my finishing thoughts, before I drifted off in to slumber. In the morning my theory had been proven incorrect. I woke up to a rich pine, rain and mint smell, but there were no strong lean arms around me. There was no warmth, aside from the blanket gently placed on me, and when I finally opened my eyes, Gale was not surprisingly not there.

During breakfast, he even had the curtsey of not even talking to me, let alone looking my way. He acted as if nothing had happened between us, in fact he acted as if I was the plague. He seemed to be ignoring me. Was it something I said? Was it wrong for me to open up to him like that? If so Gale seemed to be silently responding my thoughts with a 'yes', judging from his avoidance. Effie, Haymitch, Cinna, and Portia seemed to not have noticed, if they did, I would have never known.

Effie did say that I looked better than the day before, while Haymitch muttered something about gaining more weight, but nonetheless I had to agree with him. When I stared at myself that morning it looked to me as if I was getting thinner by the minute, there was irony in that. I had all sorts of food piled up at the beautiful mahogany table I sat on, yet I seemed to be losing weight rather than gaining some.

That leaves me there, hanging on a rope, in the training center. My arms aching, feeling as if they were on fire, and stifling up by the second. I took a brave glance down, which was a mistake, because there, I saw a couple of tributes looking up at me, and a long distance down. I wasn't particularly scared of heights, but I've never been that high to test my assumptions. The other tributes, that I had glanced at before seemed to be recognizable, there seemed to be Cato, and Clove from District 2, and Glimmer from District 1. Even though I took one glance at them they seemed to look up at me as if they picked out there new target.

I wasn't going to give them that option, to think I was going to die that easily. No, that was not going to happen. I had to go back home, and even though I knew, I wouldn't I had to fight for her, I had to fight to see my mother again. If my aching arms had to burn even more for her, then so be it.

I began to climb higher and higher, as my arms became more numb. I didn't even want to look down, because I was beginning to realize that I did have a fear of heights. It would have been smart for me to stop at my third checkpoint, but I had to prove to the other tributes that I was more than just a weak fragile looking girl.

By the time I was at the top, my fear was mounting within me, but I said nothing about it again, I took a risky glance down and saw Cato, Clove, Glimmer, and a couple of other tributes still staring at me. This time it was not filled with humor, but filled with astonishment, and respect. Why were they looking at me like that? What had I done to get gazes like that? Yes, I had reached the top, but so can little Rue.

As I began to descend down the rope, the other tribute left their spots, and returned back to their training, except for Cato and Clove. By the time I reached down, Clove had gone back to throwing her daggers at the target. Cato just seemed to look at me and stayed rooted in his spot, it sent me chills down my spine. I said nothing.

"You got good speed." He told me, his voice having an eerie edge to it. I nodded in thanks to him, but I wasn't thinking about the compliment, I was thinking about how I was actually fast at climbing that I got a career tribute to compliment me, the thought made me smile, but I didn't. "We could use those legs of yours."

Even though it was supposed to be a silent request saying 'will you join us?' It seemed to have another message laced behind it, and I wasn't the one to find out what it was. Cato must have seen me squirming under his piercing gaze, because he began to laugh, not like a maniac, but more of a chuckle. It almost sounded _welcoming_. So I did what my mother told me what I did best, I smiled at him. Not giving away my warmest, but my shy one.

It was trying to say 'no' in the nicest way possible, and even though by the end of the week, will be trying to tear each other's heads apart, I couldn't bring myself to actually taunt him. I didn't want him after me, judging from his arms, it could break my neck with just a flick.

As soon as I smiled at him, he seemed to stop laughing and just stare at me, but not with anger, but surprisingly, with amusement.

Before anything else happened I was pulled away, and that was when I realized my arm was sore from climbing up that rope. I looked down to look at the hand that gripped tightly at my elbow, and when looked up, there I saw Gale. Though he didn't look all too happy with me, in fact he had an angered look to him, and sent off of his body, as if it was his aura, letting others know that he was angry.

"Gale, you're hurting me." I said truthfully, and as soon as those words came out, he let go, almost instantly.

He mumbled to himself, and stopped walking, as I did too. I was rubbing my sore arm, not even paying attention to him, when he decided to lash out on me.

"What were you doing?" he yelled at me, but not loud enough for the other tributes to hear, but defiantly they will see our _little_ interaction.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act stupid." He growled. It would have usually scared me, but this time it didn't. I grew up all my life learning to respect elders, to listen to them, due to so many adults, from the Capitol and over to my house I was expected to be on my best behavior.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, as I rubbed my sore arms.

"Why the fuck were you talking to him?" Gale grumbled.

"Why not?"

"Are you stupid Madge! Have you seen him! The look in his eyes says it all, he won't help you Madge! He'll use you!" I almost glared at him.

"Well… I wasn't talking to him, he came to me. He asked if I wanted to join him, I said no." I said, but the look in his eyes told me I had done something wrong. "Don't worry about it."

Then I shoved him a little too gracefully out of my way, if he was going to ignore me, because of the night before, then suddenly act like he's the boss, who calls the shots, just because I was talking to- Interacting with Cato. Then two can play at this game.

…

As we all ate, there was an eerie silence to it. It was gnawing away my insides, it was too quiet for Cinna, who made everything much more comfortable, even Haymitch. I was pretty shocked seeing Effie not making an effort to start a conversation either, had Gale told them what I had done? For if he did, why would they be mad, why would they be upset? Over me…

"So how did your training go today?" Cinna finally decided to ask. As I thought over it, it was pretty good. I learned how to climb up, a rope, and overcame my tiny fear of heights, and today I got to look silently over the other tributes.

Rue, she was a sneaky little girl, she could climb faster than me, and jump high from place to place, it was a great strategy, and I had hope that, just maybe she might be able to go home. The guy from the same district as Rue, Thresh, who was pure strength, just one step could cause a rumble within the ground. There was Clove, who could throw knives and daggers, and never missed a single shot just the thought of it made me tremble.

There was Cato, who seemed to be powerful overall, he was a fast runner, considering those strong legs of his. His muscles were as big as my head, and could carry a lot of weight, he also seemed to react quickly to blows. He had all three, strength, speed, and agility. I began to think he may be my biggest opponent, but then again, everybody was my opponent, even though I didn't want them to me, that included Gale.

Then there was the thought of me opening up to him the night before, Gale had seemed so sincere with his words, as if he was trying to help me, rather than use my weakness against me..

"It was alright for me. Madge seemed to have companions with her." He said, but mumbled the last part out, so it was barely audible to the others, but I certainly heard it. He was still mad about Cato, even though nothing happened between us.

"You made alliances?"So when Haymitch asked that question my heart dropped. Were they going to be mad, just because I talked to him, and react like Gale?

"No, I just made small talk with Cato." I told Haymitch truthfully, so even though I was terrified, I couldn't bring myself to lie to them. Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, and Portia are the reasons why I was sitting successful so far in that chair.

"What?" Effie choked out on one of her mouthfuls, usually Effie seemed civilized and for her to actually cause a small disruptive note like that, seemed too hard to believe, it gave me the sense to believe that interacting with Cato was a big mistake.

"He came up to me, and even though he did, I didn't even talk to him." I told them trying to look unfazed, and resumed back to eating.

"We don't want you talking to him." Haymitch ordered.

"He's no good for you. I can feel it." Effie warned.

"Let's trust Madge on this one." Cinna commented, intervening in to Effie, and Haymitch's orders. I was thankful for him, because I didn't know how I could handle it but I did. Effie and Haymitch were acting as if they were my parents. Even though my father told me to respect my elders, I couldn't help but feel like a little girl towards them. I didn't want to feel that way, I wanted to be treated seriously, but of course they couldn't treat a girl half their size to be treated like her proper age.

"Thank you." I told Cinna, giving him a smile. "I don't plan on teaming up with him."

"Good." Haymitch said under his breath.

A great portion of anger burned within me, why was it that they thought I was weak, treating me as if I was weak, when I was trying to become the quiet opposite. It seemed only Cinna was the only one that truly believed in me.

So when I went to sleep that night, thoughts consumed me once again, but this time I did get my slumber, but when the thoughts did devour me, I thought about what Gale did earlier that day was only to protect me, he was scared I didn't know what I was doing, even though the thought angered me, it put a sense of security on me, knowing somebody has my back, and hopefully I can have his. When I woke up the next morning some thoughts did linger and recited themselves in my head over and over again:

I am weak.

I have to grow stronger.

I have to survive.

If I don't then Gale has to.

And if I do survive…

Gale will survive with me.

…

It was the last day to train and I had gone through all of the stations, trying to figure out my strength and weaknesses, and it seemed like gym with Katniss actually paid off. Back in District 12 me and Katniss would usually be partners for everything, I guess it was the thought that we could actually stand each other since we were so alike, and we didn't think like other girls in our school.

So when Katniss and I were gym partners we would usually race on our spare time, and I would win the race, but in other games like play ball, she would, since she had such great aim. Now all those times had officially paid off, because as the days past, Katniss would try to beat me, but when she actually became a challenge I would train harder so I could still top her in something.

I was now, out of the twenty-four tributes, the fastest, aside from Foxface, a name I had given to one of the tributes from District 5, she seemed to have the same pace as me, as well as a strategy but I couldn't pin point it down to anything.

So as I looked over the things I can actually do, it didn't look all that bad for me. I could climb, painfully, but at a pretty fast pace, I could sprint at a great amount of speed, I could swim, I had great eyesight, which I used to my greater advantage, and I could shoot any objects with a twenty five percent chance of missing. My weaknesses were that I had no actual strength, that if I were up against sheer, brute force, I'll lose, I cannot capture a meal, not with snares, not with anything, which narrowed it down, I had never killed anything in my life, and it seemed too hard to start.

"Margaret?" Before I even turned around finding out who the person is, the words already slipped out of my mouth:

"Just call me Madge." I covered my mouth with both my hands, and turned around to see Cato.

My heart sped ten times faster than it was when I was sprinting through the training grounds, what if Gale saw? What if he told? Would he get even madder? When I heard him give a light chuckle, my heart felt like it could jump out of my body.

"That's the first time I heard you talk." He said. I just nodded, hoping he'll leave me and my over-worked, sore body alone.

"Why don't you talk?" He said, I just averted my eyes, hoping he'll get the message, and silently hoping I didn't look weak. "I don't bite."

It seemed like there was a message underneath that sent shivers down my spine but I just lightly giggled over the comment. Which in a reaction I got:

"This seems harder than I thought" he seemed to say more to himself than to me.

"Why don't you approach friendlier?" I said, even though his approach on me had been already friendly enough, it seemed good enough to be a nice conversation starter. It seemed my habits from back home didn't die off, my father had always told me to be polite and never insult another, never to be a threat to anybody, but even though the games were different, it seemed as if my habits weren't going to die off so easily.

"Finally!" He said a little too genuinely, even though he seemed friendly, in a tough guy's body, there was something off about the way he spoke. He was _too_ friendly. We were to kill each other and here he is trying to make a conversation with me, his opponent. What were his motives, did he even have any? If he did, I'd be on my guard pretending to play into his trap, but kept my guard up the whole time.

Before the conversation could go farther, Clove made an appearance behind him.

"Cato." She said with anger laced in to her voice. Cato responded by turning around to face her, and his back to me. "We need to talk." She spoke, with malice.

Cato just turned around nodded at me looking a little provoked, and then followed after her. Clove walked away, with a few glances back at me, showing me that I was her next victim.

When they left, I had some lingering thoughts on Cato's action, but they subsided when I looked a down at my sore, sweat slicked body. It made me feel self conscious, did Cato note this fact too? Then I shook my head as in no, I shouldn't be thinking like this, and looked around for Gale. Thankfully he was too busy with building his snares and never looked my way.

…

"So how was training?" Effie asked later on as we sat at the dinner table, that night

"Good." Both Gale and I replied.

"Today was the last day to train, did you figure out your strength and weaknesses?" Haymitch pitched in the conversation.

"Yeah..." this time it was only me that replied, as if speaking for the both of us. Gale just nodded confirming Haymitch's question.

"Found any allies?" Cinna piped in with his soothing voice. It made my heart weak just by listening to it, I had mixed emotions for Cato. I didn't want to consider not wanting to kill him, but in fact I didn't want to kill anybody, but it was Cato that seemed to stand out. Then there was the gut feeling he had ulterior motives behind him, but from the sincerity in his eyes, it seemed almost as if wasn't there.

"Yeah I found one." Gale's answer pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him, to see if he was going to share the name with us, but he just kept his gaze on Haymitch, and Haymitch seemed to do the same with him. It was a silent battle between the two, but from their seam grey eye clashing with one another, yet showing no emotion at all.

Then Effie informed me and Gale to go to our rooms so they can discuss more important matters, such as the interviews that were soon coming up.

So Gale and I did go to our rooms that night, and once again in the middle of the night I woke up from my dreams, they wouldn't be considered nightmares, because they didn't scare me, they just bothered me. Just like my thoughts, this didn't seem to have much of any affect on me anymore.

After a while of tossing and turning, I began making my way down to the kitchen, to get a glass of water. I could've just ordered it from my room, but I just needed a breather from all the Capitol goodness they gave me, and did my morning habits from home.

As I made my way across the hallway, I heard hushed whispers. I began to tip-toe quietly so I wouldn't bother the voices, but curiosity got the best of me, of finding who those voices belonged to. Soon I saw the dining room come to view, and the beautiful mahogany table as well, there two figures sat. I couldn't see due to the darkness.

The two figures didn't seem to notice me there, and after a few moments, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

The two figures were Gale and Haymitch.

They spoke in hushed voices, and I didn't comprehend what they were saying, nor I didn't care, all I felt was betrayal, was Haymitch trying to give Gale more of a chance of survival than me? I silently yet at a fast pace tip-toed to my room, going unnoticed.

I slept that night forgetting my thirst, but instead feeling nothing but resentment held for Gale and Haymitch.

…

'_They all did, but I let them down.'_

…

**Discretion: Profanity.**

**A/N: Sorry, it has been a hectic week so far, and both my editor and I have been so busy, school is about to end, and there are so many assignments due, and I have to fit the story in the schedule, I am sorry I am not giving you guys enough GAGDE moments! There was a question asking Gale's POV, I'm sorry this is in Madge's POV, but soon enough Gale's voice will be heard =) … Thank you for your patience, and for a quicker update I advise you guys to leave a review to see if I am satisfying you guys! This story runs on these reviews =P **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

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'_This was not supposed to happen.'_

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

"Madge why are you so quiet this morning?" Effie Trinket asked me, I didn't respond and just continued to eat my platter. Gale and Haymitch noticed this and gave me a look that I didn't even bother turning my head to look at, nonetheless I felt their eyes linger on me.

"Anyways, as you all know, today is both of your private session with the Gamemakers." Haymitch told us, I wanted to ask 'wasn't it supposed to be the day before, on the third day of training?' but that would ruin my quiet treatment for both Haymitch and Gale.

The night before made me realize that Haymitch was trying to help Gale all along, and was just being considerate with me because I had a relation with Elise, my mother. I wanted to ask her what happened between the two of them, but now I knew I didn't have the chance. Haymitch was just being kind to me, and nothing else, he probably never even wanted me to win in the first place, and was rooting for Gale all this time.

"The private session was supposed to be yesterday, but the Gamemakers got caught up in _something_." I heard Haymitch say as my mind strayed back in to focus of the conversation. "So get ready to go back to the training center by ten o'clock."

Then we resumed back to eating our breakfast. There was a silence that once again overcame the dining room, except for the clacking of spoons slightly meeting the plates surface. I was the first done, so I got up, but when I did, Haymitch spoke:

"Good luck, sweetheart." I let out a snort that was too late to conceal. Gale and everyone else looked up at me, but I began walking to my room, but stopped once Cinna spoke up from the table:

"I'm rooting for you Madge." He said sincerely. My heart gave a little tight squeeze of hope, that there was somebody that actually believed in me. I looked back at Cinna.

"Thanks Cinna."And gave him a smile, before walking back in to my room. There were two reasons why I said those words to Cinna, reason one, because I was actually thankful for Cinna's honest words, the second reason was to let Haymitch know that I didn't welcome his fake wishes.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

All the tributes had to wait in front of two large double doors, in a straight from the first district to the last, in a boy to girl pattern, leaving me last. We all stood in our training suites, some of us were leaning against the hallway walls, or sitting down on the ground, Gale, who stood in front of me decided to stand perfectly tall behind little Rue. Not only did he make Rue look tinier than she already was, he made me look tiny and less intimidating as well, not to say I looked intimidating from the beginning, far from it actually.

It wasn't long before Cato went in, even though I knew it was wrong. I was hoping he did a great job in there. Even though Cato and I were supposed to be _enemies_, he hadn't done anything wrong for me to think like that. The one I shouldn't trust is Gale, who on the other hand is a whole new story.

I began looking around at the other tributes, who seemed to look buffer day by day, then there was me, looking thin as a needle, my rib cage was easily noticeable, and my bones stuck out like sharp edges, and there seemed to be little muscle in my legs, but still they were thin as ever. When I looked back up to examine more of the other tributes, I looked up to see Gale looking down at me, His eyes not meeting mine, instead looking down at my body. Examining it.

"You should eat more." he said, then my anger began to rise and I felt the need to say 'why would you even care?' but I bit my tongue, to calm me down a little more, so I could talk in a more respectful manner. It seemed like old habits really do die hard, for I remembered always doing this back at home for my dad's gatherings. I remember biting my tongue at almost every gathering because of some of the Capitol guests had the tendency to make some impolite comments, my mother had always told me 'have nothing good to say don't say anything at all.'

I nodded back at him, and looked around to look at the other tributes and so I could ignore him, which he noticed.

"You're mad at me." he said.

"How would you even know that?" I mumbled out, but he heard me perfectly fine.

"You do that a lot." He said. It was then I looked up to look at him seam grey eyes, slightly shocked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart picking up its pace.

"You shut off at certain people when you get mad at them" I gasped.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

_"Mom..." I said as tears began to pour over my cheeks._

_ "I'm so sorry Madge." She told me._

_ "You promised!"I screamed at her, as she laid in her bed, looking tiredly up at me._

_ "I know I promised I'd play with you, but I can't, Madge I'm sick and I wouldn't want you get sick either." She said in a raspy voice, instead of forgiving her, I left her in her room._

_ My six year old self started playing by herself in the snow, I made snow angels by herself, not with my mother, who promised me she would. Dad was once again gone, in one of his business trips, it had been a whole two weeks, and it had been the first time of snow fall that year, and I wanted to play, with my mother._

_ Soon I made a snowman by myself, it looked disfigured, the bottom layer snowball, wasn't been all that big, and it wasn't a big perfect circle, as well as the other two layers on top, and it wasn't long before I headed inside due to frostbites, and my fingers went numb._

_ I sat down in the dining room as Lina gave me a stack of strawberries to snack from._

_ "How was your day Miss Margaret?" Lina asked in her accent that stretched out her 'r' and 's'._

_ "Lina for the last time, call me Madge." I told her, as I began to warm my fingers with my warm breathe._

_ "I'm sorry Miss Margaret, I'm not obliged to call you that." I shrugged in response not knowing what 'obliged meant._

_ "Miss Margaret… are you mad at you mother?" She asked as she sat down across from me, on the dining table._

_ "How did you know?" I asked her._

_ "I saw you run out of the house, looking pretty angry. Miss Margaret, I'm pretty sure your mother did want to play with you but she couldn't. She didn't want pretty little Miss Margaret getting sick."_

_ I giggled at the name._

_ "Please Miss Margaret, apologies to your mother." As I did recall my little tantrum, I did realize I was being a little harsh on her. "Your mother only wants what is best for you."_

_ "Oh okay…" I said, and took my yet to be bitten strawberries in my numb fingers and took them upstairs to my mother's room. I was expecting her to be sleeping but she was there lying in her bed, looking out the window. Her long blond hair falling over her shoulders._

_ "Madge" She sighed as she turned her head towards me as I made my way over to her. "I know you're mad at me."_

_ "But please, look at the problem before you get mad at anyone." She said, and I ignored that comment before mumbling out:_

_ "How would you know I'm mad?" But heard me perfectly fine._

_ "You do that a lot." She said._

_ "What do you mean?"_

"_You shut off at certain people when you get mad at them."_

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'Look at the problem before you get mad at anyone' I thought to myself. Maybe it was something else Haymitch and Gale spoke about the night before, even though it probably wasn't I couldn't get mad at him. Not after of the little remembrance of the past. Gale was just trying to survive and get home to his family, I couldn't blame him, I couldn't sit here and be selfish, Gale just wanted to go home. Just like everybody else in that hallway, and I couldn't get mad at that, we had the same motives, I should be the one that should understand what he's up to, and respect him. I should respect him and find my own way out of the Hunger Games.

It wasn't long before it was Gale's turn and we were the only two left, and just as he was about to open the double doors, my mouth seemed to move on its own:

"Good luck Gale!" I squeaked out. In response, he looked back at me a little surprised at first though I couldn't blame him, he believed that I was mad at him, then nodded.

Then there was me, all alone. It seemed it had been a long time since I've been alone, sure I've been alone in the night in Capitol, but there seemed to be more disturbing thoughts rather than, just being alone, nobody there to watch you, haunt you, nothing. Just you. Alone. It wasn't long till I had to walk in through the double doors, as Gale walked out by me, whispering 'good luck.' With a look of concern and sweat plastered across his face.

I step in to the large room, as the Gamemakers look at me a small room that was in the large arena, the Gamemakers sat either beside or in front of a table that held a buffet, there was from my vision, I couldn't really tell what the food was, but at that moment I didn't seem to care. I took a look around the arena and saw that the left end of the arena there was a mockingjay seeming to take flight in a golden statue.

Before I could even grab the bow and the arrow that was put to the side and later be used as a weapon for the tributes, the game makers seemed to be in their own little world, talking amongst themselves not even paying attention to me. It was almost as if they knew I wouldn't be a threat to any of the other tributes, that just by looking at my appearance they already wrote down my number. It angered me, I was more than just a piece of their game, I wanted them to remember me, no… Not just me, all the other tributes, and what they fought for, but I wanted to do it my way. The way of Madge, not Margaret.

No I didn't lash out on them, I didn't scream, I stood in the middle of the arena, and sang. The Gamemakers ceased to speak as soon as my voice was _heard._

_ Are you, Are you_

_ Coming to the tree_

_ Where they strung up a man they say murdered three_

_ Strange things did happen here_

_ No stranger would be_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_

I walked to the area where they kept all the weapons, and picked up the bow and arrow, yet my voice never wavered_._

_ Are you, are you_

_ Coming to the tree_

Ipointed my arrow at the mockingjay gold statue.

_ Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free_

_ No stranger would be_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_

I shot. It hit the tip of the beak of the mockingjay, seeming as if the mocking jay caught the arrow… The song was always sung by my mother, she always sand it whenever my father wasn't around, once I had repeated her words when my father had been around, he immediately told me to never once sing that song again and questioned me where I had heard it before, and when I replied it was my mother, he had hushed himself and walked into her room.

It was a song against evil, I had not sung all of it, I had already done enough to give them the meaning of the song. Two lovers trying to protect one another for the evils of the world, they knew who I was implying it for. It was stupid, yes, but it was right, for all those other tributes, for their losses, lives, loved ones, yes it was worth it

I bowed and put the bow in its rightful place, and walked out with a smirk plastered on my face seeing the expressions on the Gamemakers faces.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

"Hurry up! Hurry up! The scores are going to be in soon!" Effie Trinket the oh so ever punctual one out of all of us sang throughout the dining room as we finished eating our platter.

It was pretty surprising when Gale and I reached our floor, Effie, Haymitch, and Cinna didn't even bother to ask us how we did during our session, did they already know how we would do? Did they have that much faith in us or none at all?

Cinna sighed, got up, and headed towards the television, Haymitch, and Gale followed afterwards, leaving me last. As I trailed behind Gale, he turned around and looked at me, but still walked forward to the television.

"Why were you so angry before?" He asked, I shook my head at him.

"Nothing, I had a dream that we turned against each other." I told him, he gave me a confused a look, and stayed quiet for a bit, then said:

"I would never do that." That made me halt in my steps, the amount of sincerity put in to his voice caught me off guard. I had never planned on telling him that I saw his little conversation with Haymitch the night before, but just the sincerity made me wonder If it was a dream or not, and the question, what were they really talking about?

Though I couldn't word out my questions that would always roam around my head, because Gale halted as well, and took a seat on a couch, Haymitch motioned me to sit beside him, as he leaned against the couches hand rest that was beside me, Cinna, Portia sat on a single couch, while Effie stood with her arms crossed paying attention to the screen.

Claudius Templesmith, and Ceasar Flickerman did the introductions, and soon got right into the score, since it was in order, it meant Gale and I were last, with once again a boy girl pattern , meaning I was last. As every name was called the knot in my stomach seemed to get tighter and tighter, what I did in the session was for the other tributes respects, the tributes who died before me.

Cato got a high score of ten, which oddly made me relieved, as Rue got a perfect score of seven, it seemed to be amazing for girl her age, and I found myself smiling at that. Clove got ten as well, it didn't surprise me to see that, since she never missed any of her shots. There was Thresh who got ten as well, it seemed nobody got eleven, until Gale's name was up on television, his stats were shown, and his number, was eleven.

Everyone let out a relived sigh, as Effie and Portia congratulated him, I sent him a smile before saying:

"That's amazing! What did you do in there?"

"Showed the Gamemakers what I'm made of." He laughed, and soon I joined in with him, though the nervousness in my stomach didn't go down, what will the game makers give me? I barely had down anything but sing a forbidden song, and shoot an arrow. My name was called up, and everybody in the room went silent, as my name, face and stats went on screen.

There beside my name was the score of a perfect twelve.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_This is bad, we shouldn't be celebrating'_

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

**A/N: I couldn't find the time to edit it, both me and my editor are worn out from school, that just ended recently, I have been busy, but I was able to update today, without a good edit though =/…. But now I have time, since summer vacation has started =). Somebody asked why this story is called '****Stärke and Erdbeeren' , well the title is in German, because later on in the chapters it will reveal Madge's past, who she is, and where she comes from. **

**More Reviews/Comments= Faster Updates. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

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'_I will not stop fighting, not until the end' –Madge Undersee_

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"Effie I know how to walk in high heels." I told her the fifth time I walked down the hallway as she observed me.

"We can see that." She said while she was still observing me. I gave her a confusing look, as I walked down the hallway once more.

"Then why are we practicing?" I asked a little too calmly.

"Just in case." I didn't understand her, I had told her that back home at gathering my mother would tell me to wear high heels, and act like a lady. At first it was hard but my mother coached me through it, I didn't understand why Effie was trying helping me in something I was already skilled at. I didn't say anything, though, as thought swirled around my head once again.

"You're thinking about last night, aren't you?" Effie asked and broke me out of my trance.

"No." I lied not wanting Effie worried or to talk about it, and continued to walk down that hallway, ignoring the fact my feet were beginning to ache.

"Madge, you're not very good at lying." Actually I was, nobody had ever caught me in a lie for a while, and it was either I was getting bad at it, or that Effie knew me a little too well. "Look Madge, I think Haymitch didn't mean to yell, he was only trying to help you, and look at what's best for you."

Silence.

"Madge. You can't go to the interview, all mad at Haymitch. Just think about him, and how he's feeling, all he wants to do is help you." He wasn't trying to help me, he was busy trying to help Gale.

It didn't explain his outburst though, after my name came up on the screen with my stats, which turned out to be twelve, Haymitch yelled at me, asking what had I done in the training session. I told him nothing, because I was so scared that he'll be even mad than he already was. I thought that maybe if I had gotten a twelve than maybe it'd get me more sponsors, but Haymitch said not only did I get myself sponsors but more opponents, they'll be on the lookout for me.

Haymitch's rant went on for a long time, but thankfully Gale stepped up for me and spoke in my place. Telling Haymitch how would we know how to get a high score or not, he said enough to make Haymitch shut off, and go in to his own room. We all wordlessly went back to our own rooms, but before I could even reach my own room, Cinna gave me a pat on the head, once again saying that he was still proud of me.

I went to sleep, thoughts invading my head once more, but Cinna's comforting pat gave me enough security for me to be able to fall asleep. The next morning, at breakfast it was silence, and Effie was trying to help me out by breaking in to the heels that I would be wearing tonight, the interviews.

"Okay, it's time to take you down to Cinna, and get you prepared." Effie said. I followed her to the elevator, it went down to the first floor. Upon it's opening, I saw Cinna waiting for me. Effie and I walk up to him, with Cinna giving me a smile, which I returned.

"I'll take the princess from here." Cinna said, with his smooth voice, causing me to blush a little, in turn he chuckled.

"I'll go check up on Gale."She said, and I soon found myself following Cinna, in a long corridor, in silence. Effie had already gone back up the elevator to go check up on Gale.

We soon arrived in the room arrived in my dressing room, there was a dark midnight blue strapless dress with dashes of green mixing in with the blue creating a deep rich dark aqua colour near the ends of the dress, it seemed to have gave a look that it reached down to my ankles. It was breathe-taking, literally.

"It's so beautiful." I gasped.

"Just for you." Cinna smiled. Cinna took the dress off its hanger, and handed it to me, in respond I gave him a look.

"Aren't we going to do my nails, hair, or anything like that?" He shook his head 'no' before saying:

"Put on the dress and well worry about that later." He said as he gave me one of his heartwarming smiles. I nodded and took the dress, as Cinna walked out of the room, I began to undress myself, and put on the dress delicately, trying not to ruin it in any way possible.

It wasn't long before Cinna came in the room, and began doing my hair which he just curled up with a Capitol gadget, my hair curled up and it didn't even take up five minutes.

"Cinna, am I allowed to look at myself now?" I asked him, Cinna wasn't letting me look at myself until he was done with me.

"No, it's a surprise." He said with a light smile, and had me smiling at him. Octavia soon made her appearance doing my nails.

"How come you aren't waxing off my body hair?" I asked Octavia, as she was painting my nails, and Cinna was still working on my putting makeup on my face.

"Honey, you barely have hair on your body to begin with, and plus you have beautiful skin, and we don't want to mess with it so much." I nodded in response.

After that question, it was full silence, I didn't speak as Cinna finished the finishing touches on me. I sat there in my own little world, realizing with every passing minute that there were people out there, waiting for us, tributes. Waiting to get an impression on us, I didn't know what to give off, Shy Margaret, or brave Madge.

"Cinna..?" He looked at me directly as he stopped applying make up to my face.

"Yes?" He asked.

"What impression should I give off?" I asked him, he looked at me with his dark chocolate brown eyes, thinking about it for a second.

"Just be yourself Madge." I should have known he would've said that, but it seemed like being Madge was not enough.

"What if people don't like the real me?" I asked him nervously.

"Are you real with me?" He asked. I almost shook my head in disbelief but didn't.

"Of course I am."

"Exactly Madge, I like you."

"But you're not like anybody out there." I told him, vulnerability slipping out in my voice.

"Smile." He said. I gave him a confusing look as if asking him to expand more on to what he's saying " Smile, and laugh Madge. Trust me you have a smile that could win the whole crowd over."

"Really?" I asked "Do you really think so?"

"Madge, I know so." He said with a gentle smile, and it warmed my heart. It was then I decided that Cinna was my closest friend. Even though we had known each other for a short period of time, it was long enough for me. The way we were with each other, the way he _actually_ believed in me, it made my heart melt, and it made me believe in myself, it made me realize that not everyone from Capitol was a bad person, and that not only was I going to fight for myself in the Hunger Games, I was fighting for the tributes before me, and for the everyone who thought this was wrong.

"Okay, you're all done." Cinna said, snapping me out of my unlimited thoughts. "You can look at yourself now."

I stood up, and turned around to look at myself through the ceiling to floor mirror, and I almost gasped. My hair was pinned up in a soft bun, with little rebel curly strands falling from the bun, the hair tie itself was green with some flowers added on to it, giving it a more softer look, and my makeup was done to compliment my hair, and dress. The dress which itself the dark aqua colour mixed in with midnight blue, that seemed to make my blue eyes more appealing.

"Oh Cinna!" I turned around giving him a hug. I beamed brightly at him "Thank you!"

"Anything for you Madge and I advise you to save that smile for the audience," he said with a light smile on his face.

"Now sweetie we don't want you ruining you make up now do we?" Octavia said, as I turned around to look at her, I gave her a sheepish smile, and she laughed "Go get 'em princess!"

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

All the tributes had to stand in a line, and wait for their names to be called up, it was once again, from district 1 to 12, meaning Gale and I were last, but this time it was in a girl boy pattern, leaving Gale to be last.

If Gale was nervous, the average person would never know, and that included me. He seemed to shut down, and put his attention on the person up on stage and having interview with Ceaser Flickerman, who seemed to make the crowd go at ease with everything and everyone. He seemed he could hold an audience with just one gaze, and make them applaud with a lift of a hand, and have a standing ovation with a laugh.

I silently was hoping I was like that with the crowd, but the truth was that I'd never been in front of a crowd before. Yes, I had been reaped, yes I had gone through the Opening Ceremony, but in all of those I had not said a single word. Back home, for my father's speeches I had never said a single word, I stood with him, just a single person on stage with him, showing my importance to him and District 12. That was all.

Yes, Cinna had told me to be myself, laugh, smile, and welcome the audience, but at that moment I felt like doing the very opposite, running from the audience, and hide from them. Then there was the thought, what if they didn't like my personality? Sure Cinna said he liked me, but what about everyone else? Cinna was different, it was no wonder he liked me so much, and I was pretty sure he was the only one.

At that moment, it was Clove's turn up, and she seemed to give that bad girl image, and the audience seemed to like it. She looked tough, and like she was able to survive the Hunger Games on her own, that alone gave her a lot of sponsors. Glimmers looks alone won her a lot of sponsors, Cato gave that bad boy image, similar to Cloves. Though it was different, the way he looked at the camera, it was almost bone chilling, and his gaze spoke death itself. Was that who Cato truly was? Or was he that soft sweetheart back in the training center?

"Stop fretting over the interviews so much." Gale's voice came through, and a soft breathe lingered on the back of my bare neck. It sent shivers down my spine, but I stayed rooted in my spot, but I looked back at him, giving him a confused look, hoping he wouldn't see the small heat creeping up on my cheeks.

"How would you know if I'm fretting over it?"

"Madge, you can be read easier than a book." I gave him a look. "And if anybody has to worry about the crowd liking them or not, it should be me." even though those words were supposed to show a little bit of vulnerability, he spoke with a monotone, so I didn't know if he was joking or not.

"You're not a bad person Gale, I like you." Those words came out of my mouth before I even had the chance to even comprehend what I was about to say. Gale in return gave me a smirk, while I felt more heat building up in my cheeks.

"Well, I would have never thought an Undersee would ever say that to me." he said, a smirk still in place.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I gave him a look of annoyance, he spoke about an Undersee, as if it were an object, and if we-Undersees were unmannered.

"Think about it Madge, look at where we were standing weeks ago, and look at where we are right now." He said to me, the smirk that was once there, now replaced by a frown.

I did think about it, and we would have never even had this conversation, let alone look at each other if we weren't reaped. Gale and I, in the past, had never even had a genuine conversation with one another. The whole rich, and being the mayors daughter and, being from the seam, and hunted illegally made our lives very different from each other. The Hunger Games made me realize that if Gale and I were never chosen for the reaping, we would've had a totally different story, we wouldn't be here, talking, and understanding one another. What would've happened to us if we were never chosen? Would we attempt to talk as we did now? Would Katniss and Gale get married? Just like a lot of the kids from the seam thought…

I shook the thought off and the feeling of bitterness as well, though I don't remember where it came from. I looked back up on stage, to see little Rue speaking to Ceaser Flickerman, w ho was giving her his warmest smile. She spoke, and was probably winning the hearts of all of Panem, because she certainly won mine, in her little baby blue dress, as she spoke with her delicate, fragile, yet bold voice, it made me smile.

I looked up at the crowd to see their reaction, some people looked interested, but others looked at her almost in a pitying way, it angered me. They thought she would never make it, I wanted to prove them wrong. If there was one person I wanted to go home, it'd be Rue.

"I'm very hard to catch, and if they can't catch me, they can't kill me, so don't count me out." I heard her say, I smiled, as the audience gave her an applause after Ceaser gently said:

"Not even for a second."

Then Thresh was put on stage, a lot of people seemed to admire him, but I couldn't help but agree with them, he was a built, his figure was larger than anybody else's, and if anybody had to go on a one on one fight with him, with no weapons, he'd win. Shivers went down my spine at the thought of just facing up against him.

All of a sudden he was lead off the stage, and my name was being called. My heart dropped down into my stomach, and I felt sick. All of Panem was going to watch me, look at me, evaluate me, judge me, to see if I was a worthy tribute to sponsor.

I looked back at Gale, and saw him giving me a _smile_. He mouthed out '_you can do it_.' Then all of a sudden, I knew what to do.

"We have the _famous_ Margaret Undersee from District 12!" Ceaser Flickerman says to the audience, while they roar out, and kind of startle me. I made my way over to him, waving to the crowd giving them a nice pleasant smile. He leaded me in to a chair in front of his, and I sit on it, back straight, legs closed, and a small smile on my face.

"So tell us Margaret-"

"Please, call me Madge." I said with a playful look in my eyes, not trying to intimidate the crowd, if that was even possible.

"Okay, _Madge._" He said with a laugh, and the crowd gives away a small scene of laughter. "Tell us one of your favorite things in Capitol."

"I don't know where to start." I told him.

"Oh come on, you have to have that _one favorite thing_!" He said, and once again the crowd laughs. "Let's give you examples, such as chocolate."

"Oh you're right, chocolate is quite unbearable to live without." I said, and the crowd roars with laughter, including Ceaser.

"You're right!" he said, chuckling a little. "You're looking marvelous, just like in the Opening Ceremony, tell us about your costume."

"To be honest, I never knew the fireworks were in my costume to begin with." The crowd laughs, "I was startled, and silently hoping I wouldn't burn." The crowd once again howls in laughter, but this time louder, it had me smiling.

"I'm sure we'd all be thinking that." Ceaser says with light eyes, "Now Madge, tell us how you got a perfect score of 12 in the session with the Gamemakers?" I laughed before put my index figure to my lip:

"That's a secret." I gave the audience a wink, the audience went wild, I gave away a laugh, and glanced up at the Gamemakers to see them laughing as well, but I thought it was just an act.

"Now isn't that smile valuable." I heard Ceaser say, after the laughter died down. "Don't you all agree?" The audience agreed, screaming out 'Absolutely!' 'Yes!' and other agreeing mutterings in their Capitol accent. I gave them a warm smile:

"Thank you." Which got the crowd to blast my name throughout the audience, they weren't chanting 'Margaret!', but 'Madge.'

I looked up to look for Cinna, and found him after a few moments, I saw him give me a smile, and a nod, in a proud manner, and Haymitch beside him, was giving me a warm smile, I was sure he didn't realize he was smiling like that. It didn't matter, with just a smile like that, the comments and the arguments from the night before, dispersed, and were forgotten.

"Unfortunately, time is up." Ceaser said, the audience gave out a groans, and moans "But it's okay! We all know who owns the heart of Panem!" He stood up, and the crowd starts chanting my name once again. He gently takes my hand and helps me walk forward on the front of stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Madge Undersee, The girl who owns the heart of Panem!"

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_She really does own the heart of Panem.'- Katniss Everdeen. _

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

** A/N: I apologize, I have been buys, my editor as well, and she couldn't find the time to edit this chapter… But just to let you guys know I'll update every two weeks, on Thursday. (No matter what the circumstances are) Thank you for reading, please leave a comment to let me know how you guys feel about the story.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

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'_Everything is falling in to place'- Effie Trinket_

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As I was lead off of stage, I didn't get the chance to speak to Gale, because he was being ushered on stage, and busy talking to others. I sat down in my seat and looked at him, I didn't care what anybody else thought, I wanted to know if I won over the crowd correctly, in Gale's eyes at least. I couldn't, Gale was waiting to be sent up stage, and he wasn't sitting by me, anymore. So my questions would have to wait. It didn't mean that my nervousness subsided, but what made me sigh in relief, was when Gale turned around and gave me a smile, and nod.

Why did I want Gale's approval so much? I didn't know. At that moment, it didn't matter. It was Gale's turn to show off Panem who he really was, and his chance to gain sponsors, I had too much curiosity to know exactly what Gale was going to do on stage. His looks alone could win the crowd, I was not going to sit there and lie to myself, Gale was handsome, suddenly remembering the girls in my class would always whisper to each other, when he'd walk by. He was a camera ready face, and win a crowd over with probably just a smirk, but would his personality and hatred towards Capitol cloud his intentions?

Back at home in District 12, everybody in the seam seemed to have resentment for them, Capitol. Nobody spoke a word of it though, it was said in their eyes, or in implied sentences, for if they did speak, the peacekeepers would get involved. At school, I had never spoke to Gale, but I did speak to Katniss, and she'd slip out to me Gale's greater hatred –more than others- towards Capitol.

"We have Gale Hawthorne from District 12!" Ceaser announced, and suddenly the crowd went wild, it made me smirk to myself, I was right. Gale's looks alone would win him sponsors.

Gale made his appearance, and smirked to the audience, and they swooned. The audience kept on cheering for him, even as he sat down, Ceaser tried to speak to him, but the viewers would not stop. Gale's smirk was soon gone replaced by a small frown, as he gazed the crowd, and soon gave away faraway look.

That look alone, it scared me.

Gale looked at the crowd, _almost_ showing them a look of hatred. What was he doing? He was going to lose sponsors if he gave away an intimidating tribute appearance. Then it clicked. Gale's hatred towards Capitol was showing, his mask was coming off, and it scared me. He might make a fool out of himself up there.

His fists clenched, and turned white. Even though his hands were small from my view, I was pretty close to the stage, in front row seats, actually. I looked back to see Haymitch, and Cinna, I looked back in the same spot I saw them earlier, and they both noticed, for they both had- Cinna- had a worried look on his face, but to the average person it wouldn't be visible. As for Haymitch he looked mad, I couldn't blame, and it was then I noticed Effie was sitting beside them, she seemed to be disappointed.

I turned my gaze to Gale, to have him staring right at me, the girls' cries drowning out, lights gone, the space between us, gone, it was me and him. Though it was just me probably gawking at him, I snapped out of my thoughts, and gave him a reassuring smile, and a thumbs up, hoping he might fall back in to place.

'_I believe in you.' _I mouthed out to him. Suddenly Gale snapped out of his trance, and sent me a smile, which I heard cries out to. Gale turned around and looked back at Ceaser, who seemed to have noticed, this but said nothing.

"So Gale! Tell us one favorite thing about Capitol? I'm sure the ladies are quite curious." There were cheers. Gale just chuckled, and the audience swooned.

"Well there are the beds, quite comfortable." There was laughter, I was pretty sure it was forced.

"Yes, it really is, can't live without them." Gale laughed, but I saw in his eyes, it was forced, but the flood of people cheered.

"Are you nervous?" Ceaser asked, and I stopped breathing. The thought hit me, he's talking about the hunger games, not the interview.

"Is there a reason to be?"

"Well, you are about to fight for your life."

"No, I'm not. I'm going to fight for my life, and going to return home." Gale said, with anger laced in his voice.

"To that special lady of yours?" Ceaser said, and the crowd roared at the implied question, Gale just chuckled in response. "Surely with a face like that you have to have a little lady."

Katniss was the first thought that came to mind. Suddenly I didn't feel so well anymore. He was going to tell the world he's in love with Katniss Everdeen, in the past years, the though never bothered me, in fact I supported it. Everybody back in district 12 thought they were going to get married one day. Yet girls in our school tried to change that fact no matter what, but it was the inevitable. They hung out a lot, I even heard Hazelle - Gale's mother- who I have seen a couple of times due to Katniss. It didn't answer the question though… Why did the thought of Gale and Katniss together bother me?

"I guess I do have a lady friend."Gale said with a chuckle, and the crowd went wild.

"Who is she? Wait! Can we guess?" To which Gale laughed and nodded, the audience screamed out clues, and guesses, but only Ceaser's voice could be heard. "Is she in the crowd?" Gale smirked at Ceaser, as in a way of saying 'I don't know, you tell me.'

That set the crowd to go crazy, Ceaser's guess was way off, Katniss was nowhere in the crowd.

"Is it Madge Undersee?"

It was almost like the air within left. I couldn't breathe no- it was almost as if I _didn't_ know how. It took me a whole minute- or what felt like a minute to get out of my trance. I looked up to the screen, and saw, my gawking face was plastered on it, and that I looked red as a tomato. I looked back at Gale, once I recovered, and had the audacity to actually close my mouth.

"Undersee?" Gale said, almost hysterical, for some reason, it stung. It was probably because suddenly Gale and I were back to the last name stage, but it shouldn't have bothered me, like it had. Was it possible that – "She's out of my league, and I'm out of hers."

"That doesn't mean you can't try to win her over." Ceaser suggested, and it angered me, how Gale and Ceaser Flickerman spoke as if I wasn't even sitting in the crowd.

"It wouldn't help her case, nor mine." Gale said, with a darkened look upon his face.

"In a way, you're helping her, don't you think?" Ceaser asked, yes Gale was helping me then. He didn't want to catch feelings for me, so if it came down to it, he could kill me, and vice versa.

"Yes, in a way I am helping her." For the first time in Gale's interview, there was silence, as if everybody in the audience couldn't hear what he was saying, and had too much curiosity to actually speak, or usher out a word.

"Why?"

"Because…" Pause. Silence. A loud pitched sound. "I care for her."

The crowd went loose.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

When we went back to our floors, nobody uttered a word. Not even Haymitch, he didn't look happy, nor disappointed, but aloof. Cinna just sent me a small smile when Gale and I met up with Haymitch, Effie and Cinna. Effie didn't even look at Gale or me. At first I thought it was Gale's doing, and what he said on stage, in front of Panem. Even if it was, there was nothing wrong about saying that. Gale only spoke the truth, or maybe, he's just trying to win over sponsors.

I should've been mad, mad at the fact he used me in a way to help him gain sponsors, but his words, yes they were emotionless, to the average person, but I couldn't help but hear sincerity laced in to his voice. That alone, gave me a reason for not staying delirious at Gale

Later that night, as Gale, Effie, Haymitch, Cinna, Portia, and I sat at the table and here was still an eerie silence. It didn't sit well with me. Had I done something wrong? Did Gale do something wrong? The silence continued, even as we ate the contents in our plates, there was the only sound of the utensils grazing against each other, the silence was gnawing away at me. Soon, I couldn't hold back the question any more.

"How did Gale and I perform up there?"

"Oh Madge you were wonderful! Madge Undersee, The girl who owns the heart of Panem! It was priceless!" Effie suddenly commented with her usual cheery voice. I nodded in response, but not buying in to the cheery act.

"I'm so proud of you Madge, I knew you could do it." Cinna said with his composed voice, and suddenly I had pride swell up within me, as I smiled brightly at him. "I knew that smile could win over the whole audience."

"Yes, you really did play the audience well Sweetheart," Haymitch added in, but the look in his seam grey eyes, were faraway, he didn't even look like he meant it.

"I'm surprised you could actually do that Undersee." When I heard Gale say that, I felt disheartened at the fact we were back to last name basis, but I pushed the thought aside. "I guess it runs in the family." He added with malice hinted in o his voice.

"This conversation isn't just about me." I said, _choosing_ to ignore his little comment, "What about Gale?"

"He really does have a camera ready face?" Effie winked at me and, I felt heat rush up to my cheeks. What was she trying to imply?

"The tactics you used were quite… Interesting Gale." Portia added in smirking at Gale, as if there were other meanings laced on to those words.

"Really, I never would've thought you would use the boy in love." Haymitch said.

"I never said I was in love."

"It was close enough." Then they were, once again in their heated battle of glares. Both of them not backing down.

"This is our last night together. Can we at least just pretend to get along?" Gale and Haymitch looked at me, eyes unconsciously softening, and soon the heated glares were long forgotten.

The table soon was filled with chatter instead of arguments, there was laughter, but most of all, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Spending our last night, not about the Hunger Games, not about Panem, but as people, who are corrupted in their own ways, meeting each other, with different lifestyles, not trying to understand one another, it was about cherishing the moment. Not the future, not the past, but the living in the moment.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

The night before the Hunger Games, and I couldn't even bat an eyelash. With each passing minute, I was closer to the end. It was three am, and I had yet to sleep, as I lay in bed, with pitch darkness surrounding me, I couldn't help but envy the others, and how they could sleep, as if they were _safe and sound_.

I sat up on my bed, knowing the inevitable, I was not going to get any sleep tonight. So knowing that fact I got up, and tip toed through the darkened hall way, hoping not to bump into anything.

I soon found myself in the balcony, looking down at Capitol, not darkened like it would've been back in district 12, but at night, usually the city sleeps, but for Capitol, it's when everything comes alive. It kind of funny actually, there I was the next day ready to fight for my life, trying to get sleep, to rejuvenate myself, and there the people from Capitol, partying away as if it was their last day, even though we all knew it wasn't.

I thought about my parents, about my mother, and how she might've reacted when my father told her that I was chosen to go in to the Hunger Games. Had she thought of her sister Maysilee? Suddenly my thoughts were gone to my grandmother, who always told me stories about Maysilee, she was the exact opposite from my mother. My grandmother was one of the strongest people I knew, she spoke of Maysilee as if she was still alive, she never showed any sign of mourning. My mother didn't ever utter a word about her.

Then there was my father, I didn't know what to think of him. I should've been mad, at the fact that he didn't believe I couldn't survive in the Hunger Games, but then again I found myself in that state of thought as well. It hit home, when I found out Cinna has more belief in me, than my own father. Even though my father didn't have faith in me, I couldn't help but be _not_ mad at him, he was just preparing for the inevitable, or so he thought.

As I began to lose myself in my own world, I failed to hear the footsteps behind me.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Gale.

"Shouldn't you?" I asked looking unfazed, but on the inside my heart unknowingly sped faster.

"I can't." He said, his voice coming closer, until he was right beside me, gazing at the night sky before us, and the cities dancing lights beneath us.

"Well, that makes two of us." I said, not looking at him, but looking down at the flood of people beneath us, and on the streets of Capitol, laughing, and cheering brightly.

There was silence between us, but that's what made it comfortable. Gale and I knew what one another felt, without words. It was just a feeling we knew, and that words couldn't describe, so we let the silence stretch, as if it did the talking for us.

"Madge." Gale was the first one to break the silence, and I couldn't help but notice the fact he addressed me by my first name, not last. Even though Madge wasn't actually my real name, I couldn't find the name Margaret to fit me, Madge was who I really was, Margaret, was how the Capitol addressed me by. I didn't contribute to the conversation, but Gale knew I was listening. "Be careful, tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself?" I asked, still not looking at him in the eye, but the scenery before me, but at the corner of my eye, I could see he was looking at me, I couldn't tell his expression, for it was masked.

"Madge, be quiet for a second. Forget the fact that we'll be fighting _each other_, just stop for a second, and actually _try_ to fight tomorrow." When he spoke those words, it was then I looked at him.

"I do know how to fight." I told him, my voice not bold, yet not wavering.

"Prove it to me."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Survive."

I looked at Gale, straight in the eyes, Seam grey clashing with lightning blue. I saw my reflection in his smoky grey eyes, and saw my astonished eyes-face. Gale's expression was more of fighting to keep composure, but flashes of fear could be seen. What was he scared of?

"Survive, for me Madge." He said just above a whisper. Suddenly, it wasn't his eyes I wasn't staring at. I felt two arms encircle me, one that gently lay atop of my golden locks, and the other at the small of my waist. Smoke, and the scent of outdoor pine, and mint, filled my senses, it was funny how we were in Capitol yet Gale still managed to smell like the woods. I was left remembering how Gale and Katniss were always at my door, smelling like that, it was quite refreshing.

In return, I hugged him back. Tears prickled at my eyes, yet I refused to let them fall. I was pretty sure Gale knew I was crying because my body would twitch from holding in a choke. Gale said nothing, but just held me. My throat was too dry, and felt like it was being squeezed. Yet I refused to sob.

"Good luck. Madge." He whispered.

All of a sudden, I felt his slightly moistened lips caress against my cheek.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_I'm sorry.'- Gale Hawthorne_

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**A/N: This chapter came out a little earlier than expected.**

**Note: The phrases at the beginning and ending of the chapters are thoughts of the characters. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

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'_She can do this, I believe in her.'- Haymitch_

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I woke up the next morning trying to figure out how I got there, but no memories could come up from last night. Except the talk I had with Gale, and his kiss.

Even though the kiss wasn't on my lips, but my right cheek, it left tingles down my spine. He was scared for me, and it was his way of telling me to not just lay my life out on the field, but the slight peck on my cheek told me how I do have a reason of coming home.

I was going to fight for my life, but I knew for a fact I couldn't fight for my life against Gale. The rules said one winner, and if would be one winner, it'd be him, or Rue. If they didn't survive, then I would vow to myself that I would go home, and avenge for them.

Though they would just be empty words if I said that, how could I avenge them, if I don't even know what I was doing right now? Yes, instead I would atone for them.

In the years before everybody in District 12, but I was pretty sure in all the other districts thought the same. We knew the Hunger games were horrible, we felt our hearts go out to every tribute along the way, that die, and that victor who'd have to live in his-or her- own misery. Now that I was feeling it first class- that I was in the Hunger Games themselves, it felt a lot worse. The pitying emotions we felt towards the tribute before us were nothing compared to our feeling of dread.

I personally didn't like taking pity from others, because I knew at the end of the day, it wouldn't help, and in a couple of months, the pity left towards the tributes that might die tonight, or the nights after, will be forgotten. Everyone in Panem would focus on the tributes after us, but none will do anything to actually help.

I let out a sigh, releasing all my emotions with it, and got up to get ready. I stripped myself bare, and opened up my closet to find that the clothes for the games. It consisted of knee high hunting boots, matching with a pair of black cargo pants, and a light jacket.

I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and did my morning ritual.

I looked down at myself in the mirror in my room, and heaved another sigh, and took a step out of my room.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It was just me and Gale escalating down the elevator, Haymitch and Effie were nowhere to be found that morning, it was suspicious, and for moments I thought I'd never be able to say goodbye to them, but Cinna assured Gale and I that we'd have a chance to speak to them before we head off to the games.

"You okay?" Gale surprisingly asked, while we descended down the elevator. He looked rather uncomfortable, it was probably because of the elevator he wasn't used to it.

Though I was a different case, back at home whenever I would visit my father in the Justice Building I used elevators to get to his floor- even though the building itself wasn't all that big.

"Yeah." I lied, even though he comforted me the night before, the feeling of fear didn't not disintegrate.

"You're lying." He accused of me, I guess nowadays I was beginning to lose my lying ability, or it was just him that could see straight through my barriers.

"How would you know?" I asked rather calmly, choosing my words carefully so he couldn't gain any confirmations.

"Madge. I know that you're trying to hold up that little barrier of yours." He said "Your easy to read. Always have, always will be."

I wouldn't really call it a barrier, but I didn't know what else to call it. I always tried to be like Katniss and hide my emotions, just like her, and be so strong. Though I failed numerous times, I am too sensitive for my own liking, so I put up a stoic appearance so comments, or insults wouldn't get to me, and if the other person and I were good friends, I wouldn't mind it as much.

Over the years I had gotten really good at hiding my facial expression, trying to mask my emotions. Looking unaffected by crude words, when really I was slightly affected, it seemed a little fake of me to do so, but I didn't want the chance of being reaped and looking weak, so I tried to become as strong as Katniss. So to have Gale say that he saw past the barrier I put years up for, it was quite insulting.

So I just gave him the cold shoulder, but saw from the corner of my eye that he was biting back a light smile, which made a light smile appear on my face as well.

When the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened, Gale and I stepped out going our separate ways, perhaps maybe for the last time.

I turned back to look at his broad back becoming smaller and smaller with every step he took, I couldn't help but think, that no matter what happened in our past, I was going to miss him.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

As Cinna and I sat in the waiting room, every minute- no ever second that passed by their seemed to be a weight of fear in the pit of my stomach that seemed to feel heavier. I was too busy lost in my own world I hadn't noticed Cinna's demeanor as well, but what had me noticing it was his foot tapping, that wouldn't cease.

"Hey, Cinna… You okay?" I asked rather meekly, but Cinna turned and smiled, that looked rather feigned.

"I should be asking you that." He said with his usual soothing voice, but this time, it had an edge to it, and it made me realize, that not only I was feeling this way, but Cinna as well, it was the first time I'd seen Cinna uncomposed.

"I'm fine." I lied, truth was I couldn't stop my heart rate from slowing down to its unusual fast pace, the nervousness was eating me inside out. And I had nothing I could do to deal with it.

"Madge…" He said, with his demeanor falling in to a million shattered pieces, and with one gently tug of my right wrist he pulled me in a hug.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. Though I was glad he was giving me a hug, it hurt to finally realize how much I would miss Cinna, the only one who had _actual_ belief in me. Whenever he uttered words along the lines of 'I believe in you' I know that he is not lying, and is being sincere.

I have usually a gut feeling in almost everything, and only rarely they are right, but I know when he utters those words to me, I know they are real.

"Madge. I know you can make it, I know you can fight the Capitol, you are strong enough, and whatever you find out along the battle, just know that I really do trust, and love you." So when he voiced those words, I couldn't help but lose my composure as well, and cry silently holding on to Cinna as if he was my anchor.

But in all honesty, he really was.

"Cinna I-" but before I could say any of my personal thoughts, Haymitch decided that it was the right time to barge in the room.

Cinna let go of me as calmly as he could, I looked up to look at Cinna, and saw that he had already was back in to his character. So I did the same, except a little less gracefully, and when I was finally ready, I looked up to see Haymitch, who has said nothing about the actions displayed before him.

Haymitch had a stoic expression, and seemed kind enough to actually not speak of them. Perhaps he knew that I might never see Cinna again, and we were just saying our goodbyes. Oh how much I would have loved to prove Haymitch wrong, but I didn't know if I was going to make it back alive.

"Cinna. _Please_ give us a minute." I would have acted stoically, but couldn't help but feel astonished that Haymitch was actually serious enough to use his manners properly.

Cinna on the other hand just complied to Haymitch's wished and left, as if he were obliged to listen to every command Haymitch gave him.

Even though Haymitch and I had a tad amount of bad experiences with one another, I couldn't help but not feel ill towards him. Haymitch may have been discourteous towards Gale, but he had always been pleasant to me.

Then I shook myself out of my thoughts, it was as if I was telling myself it was going to be the last time I'd ever see Haymitch. I didn't need that kind of thinking, even though I was unconsciously viewed them.

"Madge." Haymitch said rather curtly, I was not so quite sure if my name was supposed to be said that rudely, Haymitch could be sweet at times, but he could be vulgar at others. "Sorry, let me start again."

"Madge, I'm here on behalf of both Effie and I." He started off, "Effie didn't have enough courage, to say goodbye, or rather enough strength to see you go." He almost snorted. "Look Madge, go out there and do what I told you to do. When the games being, go run out into the woods, and take hiding as the first option." He said.

It wasn't disappointing when I found out the first words in our goodbye-conversation were something that'll help me in the Hunger Games, even though those words were useful, I kind of wanted him to actually say something a little sentimental.

"Madge. I really don't want to say goodbye to you, I can understand why Effie didn't."

"Why?" I asked playing the dumb card.

"She couldn't bear it. Just like I can't." With those words being said, I felt two arms embrace me, and suddenly, my heart felt lighter**.**

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It was time, the Game makers had already put on my tracker, to track me when I was in the game, and all I had to do was step in the pod that lead me in to the game itself. I looked back at Cinna one last time, to only see him walking towards me.

I gave him a confused look, but he just gently turned me around, so I could face him, and pinned something on to my jacket. I looked down only to find my mockingjay pin, glinting away as it should be.

I stared back at Cinna, my eyes watering once more, but refusing to fall.

"Go fight for _Panem_, Madge." And with that, he kissed my forehead, and turned me around to push me in to the pod. I could have said something to Cinna, but there was nothing left to say, or nothing I could come up with at the moment, but Cinna looked as if that was all that needed to be said, and if Cinna was satisfied. So was I.

As the pod began to finally lift up, it was then I lost my composure, I glance back at Cinna, to see him disappear in darkness surrounding me, and soon I couldn't see anything, but feel myself in the pod being lifted off in to the Hunger Games arena.

It was no sooner than a couple of seconds did I look up to finally a bright shining light, and suddenly I was hoping I would see water, grass, trees, and a little touch of freedom, thought the feeling of dread did not fade, but when the pod was actually lifted up into the Hunger Games arena, there was no grass, no trees, no water.

Instead there were bodies of snow covering thedead earth underneath.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_And so it begins.'- Cinna._

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**A/N: I'm so sorry... I went MIA. Honestly life and its unexpected events can be annoying. Stay tuned in, and I'm very glad that people are still following this story, it makes me feel rather flattered. **

**Next Update: (As an apology) August 30, 2012. (Next Thursday) ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

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'_Madge…'- Gale Hawthorne_

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They gave us one minute, one minute to decide our next move, whether it be run in to the dead trees, or fight to grab a pack from the cornucopia, which was in a shape of a real cornucopia, except larger. It has been shown in the past Hunger Games, it was where all the food, and supplies were left.

I looked around at the other tributes, and after a couple glances here and there, I finally found Gale, who was too busy looking at the packs at the cornucopia, eyeing one of them, and that was when I realized I should have done the same.

It was okay though, I had thirty seconds, to run grab a pack and charge in to the woods, and disappear. It would be hard though, through the crunchy hard snow, which I was actually surprised it was snow, I couldn't believe it was actually winter in the arena, for I didn't feel any chilly feeling, yet.

I had fifteen seconds, and suddenly my heart leaped up in my throat, and I couldn't stop its pace from lowering down anytime soon. I clenched and unclenched my fist. Ten seconds, I got ready, five seconds, and I glanced over at Gale, to see him glaring at the pack that he had held his sights on. Three seconds I set my sights on the pack nearest to me.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome you to the 74th Hunger Games!" I heard Claudius Templesmith's voice call out and it was then every tribute ran either in to the forestry, or the packs, everyone was everywhere, but my sights held on the pack were still in pace. I didn't glance at anybody else but the pack, which probably was considered a pretty unintelligent move, but it was working with me so far with me.

Though from the corner of my eyes I could see the other tribute screaming, grunting, and falling down to their deaths, my heart clenched for all of those tributes, even though it was the inevitable, it was bound to happened, nonetheless it felt a lot worse in first-person than to see it on television. I for one could not let that happened, I cannot take the risk of even one trip over a leg, for I knew it'd be over if that happened. I was not going down just yet, I _had_ to be strong.

As soon as I grabbed the handle of the pack I had held my sights on I was lifted off the ground, by my neck, somebody began to choke me in air, from behind. I couldn't see who, and I stupidly still held on the pack, flailing my legs in the air.

When the hold around my neck tightened, it was then I began choking truly, I looked around to see the other tributes, and they either had already left the sight of the Cornucopia, and fled of in to the woods, were sticking back and making their way over to us, or just lying dead on the ground. Me and the tribute that was choking me.

My vision was going hazy, and it was then there was a sudden jerk of movement behind me, the tightening hold around my neck fell loose rather slowly, and soon I found myself on the hoary ground choking and grasping for air. I grabbed for my pack and looked up clumsily, but just in time to see Cato's baton meeting the tributes back harshly, I recognized him almost immediately, it was the tribute from District 9.

The boy from District 9, fell face first with a thud, I hadn't even given him the time, to actually meet his eyes, but it was more of the fact I couldn't. Though I did look up to see Cato making his way over to me at a snail's pace, with a sudden glint in his eyes, and it was then I came to my senses, and tightened my hold around the pack and got up rather abruptly, and dashed into the woods, but I didn't leave, I hid behind a tree, for knowing that Cato wouldn't come for me.

I peaked behind from the dead tree, I was hiding behind, and look at Cato, I saw him looking my way, but not at me, he _almost_ had a gloomy look to his eyes, I almost wanted to reach out to him, and say thank you. Except that would make me a monster, I was thanking Cato for killing a tribute who tried to kill me.

Then why was there the distressing look in Cato's eyes? Why didn't he kill me- no, why didn't he _want_ to kill me? Then there was the question… how come I knew he didn't want to kill me?

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It was during the sun was setting did I realize how cold it really was, or it was just the fact that since night time was near, and the more darkness filled the sky the more the temperature dropped. I had walked almost aimlessly trying to look for water, but I thought against it, because all the other tribute would have done the same.

So I explored, but not too much, I stayed hidden for most of the time, but I had yet to cross paths with another tribute. Plus the fact that I was also looking for shelter, which was really hard to find considering the dead trees, and it was really easy to stand out with all the bright snow, so with every little movement, I could be easily found.

I journeyed on look for shelter, or maybe a place for a little rest, anything at the moment, because at that moment I couldn't feel my toes anymore, and my fingertips were beginning to go numb. I hadn't even had the time to search through my pack yet, just because I was so paranoid of any tributes near me.

I thought back to the first five minutes of the games beginning how it was that moment where every tribute had a chance to kill each other, get anything you could grab from the cornucopia, or just survive on your own. I chose the last two out of the three options I came up with.

There was no doubt that the cameras were on me, that was the first thing the Gamemakers would ever show, nothing peaceful, just _entertainment_, well to The Capitol at least.

Then my thoughts halted. I had gotten that damn twelve during my sessions with the Gamemakers… Haymitch was right, now almost every tribute was out to get me. My first example given the boy from District 9, even though I was saved by Cato. Who looked like he had a remorseful look on his face when he was approaching me. Though his murderous look was not to be missed as well.

Suddenly my thoughts were on Cato, he didn't want to kill me, he was just making me run off, but to Panem it looked like he was going to kill me next, but I saw that look in his eyes, even if it were for a brief moment, I saw sadness. He never intended to kill me, just scare me, so he didn't have to do the job. Then the though hit me, or he was just trying to hide his intentions from the cameras, who were no doubt were probably on us.

I wanted to slap myself on the forehead for my stupidity but decided against due to the noise it would make. Why hadn't I realized this earlier? He was just trying to protect me, and himself, and he did it.

I let out a huff, too angry with myself and finding no other way to express it. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and began to look around.

My fingers had gone numb, and now they were beginning to ache, but my toes, at that moment asked for more attention, considering they were in more immense pain than my fingers.

My eyes gazed forward, and my head came to an arrest. There was a dead tree, that seemed like it was being pulled off and away from the ground, and its roots still in place with the ground held it in place, but the bottom of the stem of the tree, was not touching the soil, leaving there a small amount of space for me to be able to fit in there, and least likely hit upon another tribute.

So between the roots, and the gaps of the step and the roots, I squeezed myself in the small protection. Thought as soon as I did, there was darkness, as I looked up in to the sky, the sun was almost gone, and nightfall was about to reach. There couldn't be risks of any fire, for other tribute would take note of it, and come for me.

It was then I began looking through my pack, and found a sleeping bag, a pair of gloves, and almost immediately I put them on and started releasing small breathes of air on to my hands. When I began to take note of my fingers movements, it was then I took of my boots, and socks, and began clutching on to them with my warm hands.

After ten or so minutes of doing so, it was then I began to feel satisfied and put my socks and boots back on, which were surprisingly dry, and not moist through all the snow.

I then resumed to look through my pack, and discovered a pair of glasses, and soon remembering how we were taught in school how these were night goggles that helped you see easier at night, it was one of the few classes Katniss hadn't attended to.

I put the goggles away, and recommenced back to my findings. I had crackers, not a whole pack, but two. Last but probably the most useful resource, I had found a sword. Even though it would be helpful in the future I couldn't help but feel disappointed I hadn't gotten a bow, I didn't know how to work with a sword, I wasn't planning on to considering brute strength was involved, something I didn't have.

Putting all my items away except for my gloves, a bite from two crackers, my sleeping bag, and my night goggles, which were placed on my face. I opened the sleeping bag, drew myself in it, and gazed up at the hole I came through and up in to the starry sky.

They would be soon announcing the dead tributes, and swiftly my thoughts ran to Gale. Was he alright? Did he make it through the first night? I didn't even think about him ever since the games had begun…

I let out a sigh, it was Gale I was talking about, if there was anybody who could survive the woods through thick and thin, it'd be Gale. Judging from his frame, the other tributes would be frightened of him too, not that that's surprising. I thought that Gale was well off, even though no tribute had an advantage for the temperature, but Gale did. The forest itself was a great advantage.

The canon shot in the sky signaling the first night of Hunger Games, and began showing the other tributes that had died on this first night. The girl from district 3, the boy from district 4, the boy from district five, both the boy and girl from district 6, as well as district seven, the boy from district 8, and both from district 9, knowing that Cato killed the boy, and the girl from district 10.

Eleven tributes down, even though it may have been bad thinking about the thought alone, I felt slightly glad, glad that Rue, Thresh, Cato, and Gale were still fine and alive.

I began to feel hazy, and let my thoughts drift for the night, I soon succumbed to sleep when I knew that at that very moment, the danger lurking out there were no _threat_ to me at that moment.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_She never ceases to surprise me'- Katniss Everdeen._

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**A/N: Hi, as promised, I updated. Enjoy. =), Please leave a review, it honestly motivates me ten times more than usual. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

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'_Where is she?'- Gale Hawthorne_

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When I woke up the next morning the first thing I took note of, were my ears. They were beginning to go numb, and they stung due to the frostbite. I got my warm arm out from underneath the blanket, took my gloves off, and the cold air met my toasty warm hands, but before the cold air make any more progress to my hands I quickly put them on my ears, massaging them a bit.

For a while I stayed like that, and when I was beginning to finally feel my ears again, and the pain somewhat subsided, and it was then I took my hands off my ears. I began to place my hands back into the gloves.

I looked up at the sky through the hole I came in from, and saw that it was probably noon, I wanted to curse at myself for sleeping too much, but it was just luck that no tribute had passed by me, yet. Thought it was probably due to my few seconds of fame at the beginning of the games, when I was being strangled did I put up a show for Panem, for now the Gamemakers would leave me alone.

Packing my equipment and inserting them back in to my pack, I squeezed through out of the hole ran the swiftly than I did the last time. Now that I did look at the hole, it was really tiny for anybody like Gale, Thresh, or Cato to go through it… but then again I couldn't have gone through the hole myself a few weeks ago, back in District 12. The thought opened my eyes to see how much weight I lost, and I wasn't even healthy anymore, even though I'd been eating more than enough ever since we went to Capitol.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and looked around the area of dead forestry and snow. When I let out a sigh did I realize how much of saliva my tongue lacked, even though there was basically snow around me and I could've obtained water thorough that, it was the fact alone that I didn't have a cup or anything to hold it in for a long period of time. Plus the fact that I wasn't going to hold snow for a long time to see it melt into water, and get frostbite myself.

So I trudged forward, know my destination, just not knowing where.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It was noon when I became tired of walking. I had been walking for hours, without stop, trying to look for water. Yet I still made sure I was quiet, so nobody could hear it as I passed by. Though my attempts to be quiet seemed to be in vain, not for the fact I was not quiet, it was the fact that I passed by no tribute at all.

My legs were beginning to ache, I found it rather stupid of me to actually search for water, because not only did my legs ache, but my fingers had gone numb, my toes as well, my ears were beginning to sting, and my nose became all stuffy. I was beginning to think I was going to have a cold but I sniffled from time to time, and I knew my face was beat red… but then again, that always happened.

As I sat down on a tree stump for a rest, I began to think about how many hours had gone by since I started my journey towards finding water. I wasn't good t telling what time it was, and considering there were grey clouds in the sky, the sun wasn't much of help. Then again, it was easy to tell the fact that it was noon, even though I had no idea how to tell time from the sun.

I looked up in to the sky with a huff, unclenching and clenching my hands into fists, so I could get blood circulated to them. I stood up, and began to walk in deeper in to the forestry.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

The sun was setting, and by now it was weird, how I was walking aimlessly for hours, and I had yet to come across a tribute, by now Panem would want a show, and there would at least be a kill tonight, what was going on? Why weren't the canons going off? Even though I should have been glad they weren't but it meant something was up. It was quiet. Too quiet for the Hunger Games at least.

Or maybe the Gamemakers decided to torture the already-tortured tributes, to show Capitol what they want. The though itself made my blood boil. There was irony in that statement, there I was in the cold, thinking otherwise.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It was nightfall and by now I was frustrated. Even though my mother did tell me I had great patience, 'which is expected of a mayor's daughter.', and silently I was glad for, but at that moment, the patience that I had drained away. I just wanted water, and I was not risking watching snow melt instead. Plus the fact that I had nothing that could help me boil water or any tools similar.

Then the thought hit me. I was so busy trying to search for water, when instead I should have been looking for shelter. I should have been looking shelter the sun started to set, but I was just so thirsty, and by now my hands, fingertips, toes, ears were aching and numb. There was too much mucus for my nose to even handle, and my legs were to tired they began to wobble. I was vulnerable. I was the perfect prey.

I should have cared more at the moment, but I didn't. It was only the second day of the Hunger Games and I knew thoughts like these would likely be the death of me. I was just too tired, I needed shelter due to the fact it was getting colder and colder by each passing quarter of an hour. I was already drained by the whole-day walking trip, and if I couldn't get any rest tonight, I knew I would be gone by morning.

Even though, as hard as I tried, my legs seemed to fail me at that moment when I stood up and leaned off of the dead tree. It was also then I realized that I wasn't breathing properly, and I was more like wheezing, and my vision was beginning to go hazy.

For a moment I had to stop myself because my throat began to constrict itself as if trying to say it needed water. I blinked to get out of my daze, but it didn't seem to work.

I trudged unknowingly up towards a tree and began to use it for support. Though the moment I leaned my aching head against the tree I heard some rustling. That seemed so far away. I didn't let it fool me.

My head snapped up despite the extreme haziness that came after, I tried to blink back once more, but it didn't seem to work. It was then I began to act on my instincts and run away from the sound, that seemed to be coming near, judging from the steps of crunching snow.

I began to run faster, surprisingly not bumping to trees as _often_ as would have thought I would. At that moment I couldn't see anything anymore, I closed my eyes shut, for I knew sight was being of no use to me anymore. I used my ears to decipher where the footsteps came from.

For a moment I stopped running for I didn't hear any resonance behind me, and once again one of my five senses has failed me.

I was tackled to the ground, my face meeting the cold soft snow that saved my landing, as my backpack saved my fall as well. It was then I opened my eyes fully, and seeing a blurry world before me. A weight fought to rest on top of my mid-section, but I fought back, even though fighting back was throwing punch in to nothingness, not knowing where the face or the body was, and the darkness didn't seem to be of any help at that moment either.

Even through all the haziness, I tried to identify the character. I could only come up short to only know it was a female, for she didn't know weigh that much.

Her fists connected with my cheekbone harshly, and I let out a grunt.

Half my face was covered in snow by now, and Panem was watching me. I was suffering from a severe headache and I was blind at that moment. All of that put to together, made my blood boil even more than it already was. It angered me to know how weak I was, to not even fight for my life properly, and to be able to die without knowing who killed me, just made me see red in my eyes.

It was then I knew who it was. I thought it would have been Clove, but Clove would've said something by now. Plus the blond hair was a dead giveaway, even though I couldn't see her face. I knew it was her. I knew it was Glimmer.

I grabbed her by her blond locks, clutched it tightly in to my hand. I heard a moan in response that gave away her identity she was trying to hide, but I didn't care. Her hands were too occupied and were on me to even react to my movements. I dragged her lovely locks that were attached her head and collided it against the snowy ground.

Though Glimmer reacted too fast for me and lunged for me again, but this time I hadn't had the enough protection for my head as it hit against the earth.

As I waited for her blow, and by that time, I had shut eyes, and instinctively flinched away, it never came.

All I heard was something that sounded familiar to an arrow. I heard a crack on top of me, and heard a soft grunt push past Glimmer's lips before her hands grew loose on my jacket, and her weight fell away from my body.

I cracked open my eyes to see my savior, or maybe my real murderer, but all I saw was a small form make its way to me.

"You were supposed to kill her." Said the girl's soft voice, and as the words came out of her mouth, I knew who it was.

Her voice seemed to fade away, as well as the rest of the world. I was losing consciousness.

As my mind faded it out, I addressed my savior, knowing she would not be my murderer.

"_Rue_."

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_Well, that was rather unexpected.'- Ceaser Fickerman._

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** A/N: Alright everybody, I know you guys have a lot of questions but TRUST ME, by the time this story ends all of the questions you have asked will be answered, I have though this whole story through =). Please review, it motivates me. Thank you for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

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'_Isn't she so lucky?' –Peeta Mellark. _

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_ As I walked gently down the corridor of my school, I held my head up high. I had to, I was- after all -the mayor's daughter. I didn't want to though, I never thought of myself any better than anyone else. My father didn't think so either, he was too kind hearted to even show it too, he didn't care, he cared for all of his citizens of District twelve. The peacekeepers were the only reasons as to why I did it. _

_ They were waiting for me on the other side of the doorway that lead you in to the school. I had to pretend not to care for others around me, as they watched me walk 'gracefully' down the hallway. They gave me disdainful looks, well most of them, it was either that or they didn't care to even look._

_ This school was the only school in district twelve and all kids had to attend them, so even though Capitol were wicked enough to have the Hunger Games, they weren't 'wicked' enough to take away our education, but rather just lower the amount of the educated. _

_ So if there were any other school I was able to go to, I would, but I couldn't since there was only five schools –that were so far apart from one another- in all of District twelve. I would go just so I wouldn't see his face. I never did care about the looks others gave me, because if I were them I would give Margaret that face as well. But getting a face like that from Gale, it hurt._

_ It was even worse that I saw him making his way out of the classroom, I was almost out of the school, and he had to show up. _

_ I began to stiffly walk faster, so he wouldn't notice me, but my blond hair was a dead giveaway, and since I was one of the only blondes in the school, it wasn't hard to find me. _

_ By the time I was _almost_ out of the school, I was grabbed from behind and pulled away from the doors that lead to freedom, and towards Gale Hawthorne._

_ He pulled me against the wall, but he was nowhere near touching me, yet not far enough for others to know that he was talking to me. _

_ "What?" I asked rather quietly, and playing the dumb card, I was well aware of his intentions I just didn't want to hear them. I was refusing to meet his and looked at his shirt white -now turning into a darker shade- instead. _

_ "Look Undersee. The other day-"_

_ "It's nothing." I interrupted him, but not harshly, but still not refusing to meet his eyes. _

_ "Madge." When he uttered those words out of his mouth, it was then I looked up, looked up to meet his deep grey eyes, so deep that I could suddenly see myself staring back at me . It was also that moment I realized Gale and I weren't all that far apart from each other._

"_I'm-"He halted._

_ Yet my eyes didn't look away, I know I was being a little brave just by staring at Gale – and all his glory-, but what killed all of this was the fact that I didn't want to hear it._

_ "It's okay...You don't have to say it."_

_ "No Undersee, You don't."He said _almost_ softly. _

_ He then proceeded to take out a small wrapped box out of his carrier – which I had just noticed at that moment. I looked up at him questioningly. Yet he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at the wall behind me._

_ "Your grandmother died recently. People haven't been treating you well. So here."_

_ "What? Why are you-"_

_ "It's strawberries." He said. "They're sweet. Just like you."_

_ "…"_

_ "I'm sorry for your loss Madge."_

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

Then I woke up.

I didn't know as to why I was remembering such a memory that was so long ago. I didn't want to remember Gale at that moment, even though I felt refreshed, I was still sore. So there couldn't be time for me to think about Gale Hawthorne during the Hunger Games.

Sunlight beating down on me and for a second I thought it was hot. Though I wasn't fooled, because the chilly air was still there. I sat upright, and knocked my head against to what seemed like a bark of a tree. I glanced around took in my surroundings, and took note that I wasn't hungry, and I was toasty warm. I also noticed that I seemed to be in the same spot I had slept earlier.

Suddenly I heard rustling and I almost instinctively raised my hands and put them in to fists, but then I saw Rue emerge through the hole of which both our bodies could fit in.

"Where's Glimmer?" I asked. Not caring if I was acting more casual than I should, but I knew it was Rue, Rue who couldn't even hurt a fly. I knew I was underestimating her, but even if Rue was standing meters away from me I didn't feel threatened. No matter what I would never lay a hand on Rue, not even if she tried to kill me. She had those eyes. Those hauntingly innocent, warm eyes, that held strength in them as well. The very eyes that reminded me of my grandmother.

"She's gone." Rue responded almost solemnly.

"You killed her?" I asked in a shocked voice almost pointedly, not even my mind was able to comprehend how Rue –Kind, small Rue- was capable of doing that.

"No. Gale did." Hearing Gale's name sent my mind in alert.

"Gale?"

"Yeah, he set up his snares, and you got caught in one, Glimmer got the end of it…." She said glumly as if she didn't want Glimmer to die, but then again, I was chatting with little Rue, of course she wouldn't have wanted that. I didn't either.

Then I thought about what Rue said. Gale's snares? Gale was somehow looking out for me even without looking. He just did it without meaning to, without intending to.

"Where is he?" I asked calmly.

"I dragged you out of there before he even could realize that his snares have been used." Rue- out of protection- thinking Gale might have killed us if he found us, dragged us out of there.

"I wasn't too heavy?"

"No, you were the opposite." She said with a soft smile on her face and rose up her fist as if she was trying to show off her hidden muscles. I giggled in response.

Soon the little laughter died down, and Rue began to take care, and feed me the small dead berries she recognized and gotten out in the woods, Rue said even though it wasn't much I need to eat a little before I could get a meal, so I wouldn't throw it up due to my stomach not being used to the lack of food I had not been getting for the past two days. I found that rather embarrassing how a little girl could survive out here, than me.

Rue told me about her past and what she went through and how she knows what to do, and out of everything she told me, she has it worse than the seams in District twelve. Rue grew up with her older brother –who is nineteen- grew up with no parents, had to spend her life in the fields, to which they were deficiently worked in, and were treated strictly towards.

She then started scolding me and made me to eat her pot of stew she had gotten from her mentor. The thought made me think back to how Haymitch hadn't helped me yesterday on my journey to find water.

He could've been helping out Gale, just like I _thought_ I saw them talk that night… But there was also the possibility he was trying to teach me a lesson, trying to indicate a message towards me, but the part that said Haymitch was siding with Gale was overpowering the other thoughts. I could've had trying to save an image I put up for Haymitch because I began looking up to Haymitch, believing in him, and actually taking his advice in to consideration. Then the thought of him turning against me, wanted to tear that image I had of him in to shreds.

Suddenly I didn't want to eat the stew anymore. My stomach was beginning to feel queasy and I just didn't feel like digesting anything in to it. Nonetheless I knew what Rue would force me to eat the stew, even for small Rue, she was feisty in a sweet manner. I couldn't blame her though, all she wanted was the best.

"How come you're helping me out?" I asked Rue rather bluntly, after I finished half the stew, and gave the other half to her.

Rue in response looks at me, and then looks down at my mocking jay pin. Which I had forgotten about, Cinna must have put it there. The thought made me inwardly smile.

"Where did you get that pin from?" She asked quietly countering my question, even though I was happily obliged to answer her.

"It was my aunt Maysilee's, my mother's sister... She fought in the second Quarter Quell, but she didn't survive." I told Rue easily, as the words were coming out of my mouth without intending to. With Rue I just had my guard down. I was content I was able to do that "You want it?"

Rue then shakes her head instantly, "No… It's yours. You should keep it. Your mother passed it down for a reason, didn't she?" Rue said with a small smile on her face. "Win for her Madge."

"And you win for your older brother." I smiled gleefully at her. She giggled back at me, before saying,

"And for your boyfriend Gale." In response I laughed out loud, really loud, and instinctively closed my mouth shut, just in case somebody heard me. Rue on the other hand still kept that grin on her face.

"What makes you say that he's my boyfriend?" I asked her a smile playing on my lips.

"I care for her!" She mimicked Gale using a deep voice, as low she could go, but she was failing miserably. Though her little example of Gale had me in a short fit of giggles.

It was unofficially decided that Rue and I were a team, because when Rue began to pack up I did as well, and helped her. Rue gave me a look at first but then just silently complied with us being a team. Even though I couldn't do much, there was one thing I would do. It was to protect Rue. She had to go home to her brother that was waiting for her. She had to go home.

But before we even left to set out for our journey Rue informed me that Clove was on the lookout for me, trying to make me her next victim.

"How would you know?" I asked her.

"I was at the cornucopia trying to get more food, and I overheard her talking to Cato. She said she wanted you gone." If Rue said it than I believed it, but I should have known from Clove's actions alone, her glares, and the way she stared at me throughout the training sessions.

I should have left the topic alone but then there was a part of me… A part of me that wanted to know what Cato said after wards to Clove. I shouldn't have cared, but I did, and I didn't know why. Then there was the question as to why it was me, why me? What had I done to gain Clove's attention?

"We need to find Thresh" said Rue, crashing me out of my thoughts. I looked down at her as she just squeezed out of the small hole.

"Why Thresh?"

"I trust him. He's the only one that can help you right now, and defend you from Clove." Rue said as she looked ahead of us and in to the dead forestry, and endless snow.

"Why do you want to help me so much?" I asked once more, hoping Rue wouldn't change the subject this time. It wasn't normal for any tribute to go through any lengths as Rue was going through, even as kind as Rue was she had to have some motives behind her actions.

"I need to get you back home." She said almost determinedly.

"I should be the one saying that about you." I told little Rue in return.

"Then it's settled." She smiled and looked up at me with her doe eyes that reminded me so much of my grandmother. "You protect me and I protect you."

"And if we fail protect each other?"

"Then the loser has to win the Hunger Games."

I smiled, and unthinkingly promised: "Deal."

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_Well… would you look at that...'- Haymitch Abernathy _

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**A/N: You guys are my motivators. I honestly love all you who had been kind enough to leave a review. You guys honestly don't know how much it means to me. Thank you. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

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'_Thank you Madge'- Anonymous_

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"I grew up on a farm remember?" Rue said it like it was the most obvious statement in the world, I just gave her a small smile in return, not really knowing how to respond to her.

Well it wasn't that at all actually, I just couldn't get rid of my thoughts of Cato and Gale. I knew that that they both were alright because their names hadn't shown up on the screen, well at least from Rue's description of who had gone the night I was unconscious. Both Cato and Gale had made it. For the average tribute it would be dreadful for them, because that would mean more competitors but I felt relief. Maybe all the tributes felt that way, or some of them, I mean none of the tributes seemed to hate each other, but they don't seem to like one another either.

Either way I didn't know what was going on inside the minds of the other tributes, all I knew was I had to get out alive, if not me it'd be Rue, Gale or Cato for sure. Haymitch did say to work with whatever I had, and I was pretty sure he was including Gale. Although Haymitch would also be greatly disappoint for my newfound feelings for Cato as well, it wasn't that I thought of him as a love interest, but I just liked him genuinely as a person, then again I didn't know my feelings about anybody anymore. Who knew if I really did have a minor crush on Cato?

"You'll breathe your last breath if you keep your head in a cloud like that." Rue stated from afar, and when I did look up to see where her voice came from, she was miles away.

"Sorry," I breathed out, and it really was astonishing how she could hear me from the distance. I knew she had heard by the fact that she just nodded after my apology. She stopped by a tree, leaning against it while she waited for my arrival.

By the time I had gotten to her, I was panting out frosted air. The pack was heavily weighing me down, and my small figure wasn't much of a help either. Rue had noticed this, but said nothing, for we went over this process before. We had both silently come to an agreement of not looking weak in front Panem or we'd lose sponsors that way.

"What's on your mind?" Rue asked with pure curiosity, it was almost like she thought she could banish my thoughts away. If only.

"Nothing." I shook my head, giving her a small smile. While I really sent her the message 'Not in the arena.' Her indication of knowing this information was by nodding and sending a smile back.

"How long will it take us to find Gale?" I asked.

"You mean Thresh?" Rue correctly me with a grin on her face, she turn and trudged forward but was still waiting for a response.

"That's what I said." I denied.

"No you didn't! You said Gale!" With that said Rue laughed whole heartedly, while I was just left to a small blush hiking behind her.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It was twilight when Rue and I decided to stop at a cave we came across miraculously. It was odd how we didn't cross paths with anybody but it wasn't like I was complaining either. What made things even more unusual was how the bomb hadn't gone off at all that day, and the Gamemakers never go one day without a life being lost. Could there be something going on outside of the Hunger Games? Could there be something _postponing_ some of the deaths of the tributes?

At that moment it didn't matter, I was glad that I had made it out another day without getting hurt. The only conflict my companion and I, well mostly me was how cold it was. I should have been adjusting to the cold temperature but then again, I was never the one to be a fan of winter even back home in District Twelve.

"It's really weird how the Gamemakers have not tried to finish us off yet." Rue commented after she was done making a fire with some dirt, rocks, and twigs we found laying around, to which I regrettably didn't look at how she had made it.

"Uh…" Was my retort, why was she being so open in the cave? Did she not know that everybody had our eyes on what we did and said?

"We're safe here. I checked out the place while you went searching for some wood." She smiled, "There are no cameras in here at all."

In response I gave her a real smile, showing my teeth and all. Rue seemed to be taken aback for a moment but resumed on sharing the smile.

"What's wrong?" I asked, instantly catching on to the second of astonishment shown on her face. While speaking to her I went to the entrance of the cave and tried to camouflage the entry with just snow, making it look like a large pile of snow, rather than an actual cave. It was a defense mechanism for all the tributes that were to walk by.

I took of my pack, which was near Rue's bag, and sat with my arms outstretched in front of the fire. I looked at Rue so she could be willing on to continue, she just gave me a shy smile before saying,

"When I saw you on during the Opening Ceremony, I knew you were pretty and thought you'd use your face to win all the Sponsors gifts. I got confused with you, and Glimmer because both of you had blond hair, and blue eyes, both being pretty too." She said, and took a large intake of air before continuing "But now looking at you, how much smarter, and kinder you are than her… Instantly makes you look ten times prettier than her. Madge you are so beautiful, both inside and out."

"Where's this suddenly coming from?" I laughed before I pounced her, giving her one of my best hugs. She returned it, but we stayed like that.

"Well it's been on my mind for a while, and I thought I should tell you if anything happened to us. I mean there is only one winner…" She said solemnly, "You're like the big sister I never had."

"You are my sister Rue." I looked down at her, while she was in my arms. "And if anything, you will be this year's victor."

"How would you know?" She asked.

"I'll make sure of it." I smiled at her, surprisingly not feeling any remorse while doing so. I really wanted Rue to win, it was that or nobody else. I was not going to let anybody kill off Rue, I wanted to make it a vow, but I didn't know if I would be strong enough to protect her.

"What about you?" she asked with her brows scrunched up in genuine concern. I got up, and went to our packs searching through to get my crackers out, and out of Rue's pack to get a blanket for both of us.

I sat back down by the fire, letting the blanket engulf us. I pulled out my crackers gave three to Rue, and three for myself. Now being all comfortable I decided it was time for my answer.

I unpinned my Mockingjay pin from my jacket, and pinned it to Rue's . She gave me a bewildered look, and before she could utter a word I told her.

"Just think of it as a good luck charm… It's for hope." I said somberly remembering my father's words before leaving my house for the last time.

"You really want me to win, don't you?" Rue asked quietly. It was at that moment I wanted to see her face, but she had her back leaned up against my front.

"Yeah, but for now let's just tell each other stories." I said feeling a little light, Rue instantly agreed with me, and storytelling is what we did until nightfall.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

_ "What are you doing in this part of town Madge?" Peeta, a good friend of mine, asked slightly in a shocked tone. He had been currently throwing out the trash, coincidently the same time I was walking by his shop._

_"Oh nothing!" I replied almost too sheepishly, he had caught me by surprise and I couldn't think of anything else to say to cover my reasoning as to why I was near the seams._

_ "Well I'd stick around and talk to you, but my mother wouldn't really be proud of that." He smiled while rubbing his hands on his apron. It was then he noticed the large bundle I was carrying in my arms, "Hey is that G-"_

_ "Sh! No it's not!"_

_ "Alright! Alright!" Peeta laughed, "I won't breathe another word about it." He then proceeded to go on through his day._

_ I left as well, making my way over to the seams, to which I couldn't find the specific place I was looking for. I had never entered the seam area before, mainly because of my father who was scared for my wellbeing, and my mother who just giggled in the background being too sick to say anything against him. He didn't even let me step foot in my close friend Katniss's house, he let me befriend but not ever step foot in her house._

_ Now walking in the area, where all the houses looked similar, was probably a bad idea. I walked by resident owners of the slums, and they gave me dirty looks. Mainly because I was a blond and stood out, rather than being a brunette and olive-skinned. _

_ I didn't recognize my surroundings, and I was completely lost. I didn't let it show on my face though, I just walked around hoping I'd find somebody I knew and they gave me directions. It was rather stupid of me not to ask Peeta himself, but for a moment I was too prideful._

_ It was cold already, and my legs were beginning to ache. It was a bad idea to wear a full baby blue skirt that ends at my knees, in the middle of winter. Yes there had been snow, but in all honesty I didn't think I would be out for so long, but I had been smart enough to wear boots though._

_ Suddenly I heard soft giggling behind me, I turned around but didn't see anybody behind me, and instead I looked down to see a small toddler gurgling away. She had short brown hair, and grey seam eyes that reminded me of Gale. Sure the citizens of the seam all had light eyes, grey, or blue to be exact, but Gale's eye for an unknown reason always stood out._

_ "Uhm..." Was all I could mutter out, before she noticed the bundle in my arms, and squealed._

_ "That's my brother's jacket!" She chirped out, almost a little too happily._

_ "Pardon?" I asked, before she grabbed me by my hand and pulled me in the direction of her house._

_ "That's Posy's brother's jacket!" She exclaimed again, and that was when I noticed that 'Posy' hadn't learned how to speak properly yet. I didn't have the heart to tell her to let go, and allowed her to drag me in whatever mess was to come. _

_ She arrived at a small house that resembled a shack, and was no different from the other houses around the area. The girl knocked softly on the door, but it was heard throughout the house for the door was opened wide no longer than a couple seconds. _

_ There was a lady, brown hair flowing down her back, and had the lightest blue eyes Madge has ever seen, aside from Katniss. She wore a ragged up apron that seemed to match her brown and stained dress, but I was never the person to mind all of that._

_ "Posy! What are you doing out? You should be at home!" She angrily told her daughter._

_ "But Mama! This lady has Gale's jacket!" Posy thought of a quick comeback, it was good because now all of this woman's attention was on me. I alone didn't even know this girl was Gale's sister._

_ "Madge? Posy get inside now." Was all she told her daughter, before Posy skipped inside but not without smiling up at me. "Good Afternoon, I'm Hazelle. Gale's mother."_

_ "Madge… You're the mayor's daughter… and you have my son's jacket." She said trying to put the pieces of information together. Before I could retort to anything she gasped, "Oh how rude of me! Come inside you must be freezing!"_

_ I accepted the offer, but the only reason being was that my legs were shivering to the bone. She sat me down on a rusty chair, that being one of the only furniture to sit on. There wasn't much of a difference being inside than out._

_ "Sorry missus Hawthorne. I just came here to return Gale's jacket." I told Hazelle._

_ "Well, he's out right now." She said replied, and unexpectedly my heart sank. "But you should stay here for some tea, and I'll be sure to give him his jacket back."_

_ "I really should be on my way home, but thank you anyway." I said before standing up handing the jacket over to her, having no reason being, made my way to the door, but halted._

_ "May I ask, but why do you have his jacket?" She asked._

_ I couldn't respond right away, but I waited for a few moments, and told her the best way I could "Well he gave it to me on a cold winter day."_

_ "Why didn't you have yours?"_

_ "Uhh I-"_

_ "Pardon me for my impoliteness." Hazelle replied, before giving me a smile._

_ "It's alright." I responded. I was going to walk through the door, turned around to see Hazelle left her spot, and probably went to Gale's room to put his jacket back._

_ I quickly took off my jacket, pulled out a note I written out earlier but contemplated if I should give it or not, but then gave in. Placing the jacket on the chair, and the note on top of it I left the house without another word._

_ The note had said 'thank you Gale, and please, don't return the jacket. It's all yours now.'_

_ When I had gotten home that day, I simply told my father I needed a new jacket, because I lost my old one, he had been made but it was heart-warming to see Hazelle wear it when I walked by her house later on that month. It also wasn't surprising when I saw Gale glare at me either. He probably thought I gave my jacket to Hazelle out of pity, when really it was because I didn't want to owe any favors back, and the fact that Hazelle needed more than I did._

_ Needless to say the next time we spoke to one another was a frosty conversation on the day of reaping later on down the months._

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'_I really am sorry'- Gale Hawthorne_

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** A/N: unedited. Sorry if I took too long of a break, but unfortunately I was going through not so nice things, but I'm back on track now. I'm truly sorry for the long break. I know this chapter is short, and boring, but I needed Rue and Madge to connect. The last piece is as to why Gale was mean to Madge on the day of reaping. Leave a review, I honestly need feedback my lovelies. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

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_'You have to be strong Madge...'- Unknown_

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"Hey, wake up!" A small angelic voice whispered to me, and for a second I thought it was angel sent from heaven, but the harsh truth dawned upon me once I opened my eyes. It was Rue, but the fact she wasn't an angel didn't stop me from sleepily smiling up at her.

"G'morning" I mumbled groggily to her before turning on to my side, and snuggled further in to my-Rue's blanket.

Memories from the night before resurfaced in to my mind. The tales we told each other, the promises, the laughs Rue and I shared, and the failure of finding Thresh. I felt disappointment spread through my chest, how long would it take us to find him? It couldn't be that hard, could it? I was beginning to lose track of the amount of days it took to find him, just like I had already lost the amount of days I've been surviving the Hunger Games so far. I felt more pride in myself than I should have, but I had lived through the Hunger Games longer than expected. I knew it wasn't even a whole week since the Games had even begun, but the progress I was making was quite remarkable for a girl who had barely stepped a foot on grass before.

I was beginning to feel more tired than the other times I had gotten up, I didn't want to get up and suddenly my-Rue's blanket seemed comfier than it had been since I woke up. I knew I shouldn't have been taking the whole situation lightly, what if Rue was trying to wake me up because we were under attack or somewhat similar? For a second I contemplated if I could let the attacker kill me, then maybe Rue might have a one less tribute to worry about, but I wasn't going to let Rue fight in the games alone. If she was going to win, I was going to make sure I would there to see her victory.

I abruptly got up, an old habit I picked up from back home, and looked at a full-geared Rue who slightly recoiled when I did so. I glanced around the perimeter of the cave to see if anything, or anyone was out of place but everything was in the same place the night before. Looking outside the now non-lit cave, and saw there was still light snowfall, and that it was a cloudy daybreak.

"What time is it?" I asked in a raspy voice, and started to adjust my jacket. They were starting to feel slightly more uncomfortable as each day went by, and at time like these I really wished I had lived in the seam and had gotten used to the whole recycling of clothes, without wash.

"It's almost noon, and it was your turn to keep watch," Rue reprimanded me lightly, as she lifted off the blanket off of me and began to fold it much of a neater job than I ever could.

"Did I fall asleep?" I asked, I got up and patted the dust off my pants. "Sorry..."

"Oh no, it's alright!" Rue said quickly, and reorganized her pack.

But it wasn't alright, is what I felt like saying. I felt ten times weaker than her. In no offense at all, but more in pride for Rue, I felt as if she had a better chance at survival than me for sure. If it weren't for her I wouldn't be standing there in the cave, giving Rue a rather dopey expression. It was my turn to return her the favor, and turn the tables of who was trying to help who. But all I ever did was say empty promises to her, but what good would that do? Other than give her hope. Yes hope was the only thing stronger than fear, but hope wouldn't be the only thing that can help us through the hunger games.

Trying to step my game up, I helped Rue put all her items away and picked up after myself refusing her help, to which in return she had given me a questioning look I ignored. We trudged out from the cave, and assessed the perimeter feeling Rue doing the same as I. But there wasn't anything but dead trees, a cloudy sky sprinkling snow upon us, which thankfully covered our tracks from the night before.

"We aren't going to eat?" I asked Rue, who was already walking ahead of me.

"You could if you want." She simply said, but there was an edge in her voice that at first I ignored.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry either." I lied trying not to sound needy in front of her, but in all honesty I was hungrier than a zombie that hadn't fed on flesh for a month.

After that it was relatively quiet, which shouldn't have bothered me at all because Rue did warned us that talking might attract another tribute, but there was something quiet off about Rue. There was an eerie silence, and a change in the mood that even a bat could notice it. But I kept my mouth shut trying not to bother Rue who seemed to be deep in thought well at least that was from what I could gather from small glances at her. Nonetheless there was a total shift when I glanced at her once, and noticed she was wearing my Mockingjay pin.

My thoughts began wandering to the remaining tributes, I knew I miscounted the amount of tributes left when the only tributes I could think of was Gale, Cato, Thresh, Rue, Clove, Foxface, and Marvel. There were more but I couldn't remember their name properly, or maybe I didn't find them a big enough threat, when really it should've been the other way around. I was underestimating what the other tributes could do, or have trick up their sleeves, but not knowing the actual amount of tributes left put the odds out in my favor. I should have been paying more attention than trying to get Rue to talk to me, and complain about my frozen toes.

But by the time it noon, the snow had stopped drowning the atmosphere, the only sound came from the snow crunching underneath our feet, and my pack felt like I was literally carrying a boulder. But just as I was about to make a small objection of not resting, I looked at Rue who didn't even seem to be sweating a drop, and the complaint died in my mouth. Although as the more we walked in to more forestry that looked more familiar with each trek, my back began to ache, and I began sweating like a dog. Was it normal to be ninety degrees in this temperature?

"What do you call a tribute with no legs?" I asked Rue by midafternoon, forgetting the no-talking rule I made up not so long ago, and trying to think of ways to make conversation with her to hopefully forget about the pain in my legs.

"What?" Rue voiced evenly after a miniature silence.

"Madge." I said lightly, and Rue lips broke in to a small smile with laughter following in suit.

"Is something wrong Rue? You've been quiet all day." I panted out, feeling slightly more confidant in doing so.

"Oh it's nothing..." Rue said like it was something.

"Rue..." I said softly, feeling the concern radiate off my face. "You know you can tell me anything... I mean we haven't eaten all day, we barely even said anything to each other too... Are you sure it's nothing?"

After a whole five minute of hush, Rue responded with a quiet "I have a bad feeling..."

"About what? Finding Thresh?" I pestered on.

"No..." Rue whispered, and if she hadn't stopped in her tracks, abruptly stopping the crunch in the snow, I wouldn't have heard it. "I feel like he's nearby, but still..."

"Are you sick?" I asked, not catching on to her drift.

"No... You know what, never mind..." Said Rue, and continued on with her trek, although I stayed rooted in my spot, and Rue wouldn't have probably noticed I wasn't following her if I hadn't spoken.

"Rue, if you think something bad is going to happen to you, it won't." I said my gaze hardening on her.

"How would you know?" Rue asked in a small voice, full of uncertainty, full of negatives thoughts that shouldn't consume Rue.

"Because I won't let it." I told her, unbeknownst to me that the promise would be broken in following hours.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

When I was a young, younger than the age I was allowed in the Hunger Games, my grandmother visited me often. I looked up to her a lot, even if she was the most stubborn woman I had ever met. She always fought for what she believed in, no matter what it was, which was more marvelous than a negative trait. But I guess the real admiration had begun when my mother was under extensive care for her unknown disease. My father had called the special doctors from the Captiol itself, after one sunlit morning when my mother collapsed in her pale, undernourished body, during breakfast. Even if the doctors looked like they did some massive surgery on themselves to appear more Capitol-like, we let them do their job.

My father had called my maternal grandmother to inform her of her daughter's condition, and it wasn't until a few hours later she stood in the concrete footsteps of my house. She held her gargantuan brown purse, which matched its weight when I asked to hold it for her, soon regretting the question. She walked in my mother's room as if she owned the whole house, even when the doctors attempted to persuade her to leave, she didn't. She simply stayed, and I never knew what happened beyond the doors once it was shut.

Once she emerged from the room hours later, my mother as walking in tow with her, smiling warmly to us-my father, and I, looking sickly but more alive than ever. I had been so afraid something terribly had gone wrong with my mother, but I should have known upon the sight of my grandmother's face that everything would've been alright. I had been too appreciative than to be curious at the time, and simply kept sending her smiles, and thanking her profusely.

But the only thing she said to me, in a serious expression on her wrinkled face, "You have to be strong, my dear Erdbeere."

That was the first memory that hit me when I glanced at Rue and saw her in the same admiration as my grandmother as she leaped behind a tree.

It was soon as the first arrow blazing with fire shot through my right arm during mine and Rue's almost ending journey to Thresh. I immediately sprinted, and took cover behind a tree. I glanced at Rue to see if she was alright, it seemed as if she was two steps ahead of me and had already taken her slingshot out already having the sharp hard rock in sight. Then I proceeded to assess the damage done to my arm and saw that the fire in the arrow was making its way from the tip to the wooden Arrow to seep in to my already burnt skin.

I harshly grabbed the end of the arrow and tugged it hard enough for the arrow to be free from my arm. I hissed slightly. Not glancing at the arm, knowing it would probably slow me down I Heard more fire blazing arrows cut through the air in the same direction the first arrow had hit me, from behind the tree I took fleeting look from where it was coming from, and who was my attacker. But the number of arrows increased. It was then it hit me.

The Gamemakers finally got bored of their job, and Rue and I were the main source of Panem's entertainment.

But the thought ceased when I heard Rue scream.

"DUCK!" At first I thought of the animal, which was very stupid on my part but when it processed in my head what she was actually saying, and began to stoop down the arrow shot past me, grazing the tip of my blond head, and soared across to the person across from me. Successfully piercing through Rue's leg.

I heard her scream once more before dropping down against the tree. It took another second for me to identify the situation and analyze that now the arrows shot from all different directions, and aimed exactly at us.

I crawled as fast as I could to Rue, ignoring the paint that shot through my right arm, and narrowly missing some blazing arrows that stopped burning on instant impact on the snow. When I got to her, she was panting harshly while clutching on to her leg.

"I'll take it out!" I said as loudly as I could, trying to overpower the sound of arrows. Rue just nodded her sweating head at me, and I hesitantly held on to the wooden stick of the arrow and pulled it out as quickly as I could. "You okay?"

But Rue didn't have time to respond, before I took her small arms and pulled one over my shoulder, while I held on to her waist with the other.

As I hauled her up to stand up with me, I looked around to see the decreasing numbers of arrows soaring, that now were deliberately missing us. Which was rather odd, but I ignored it silently hoping the miss of the arrows might lead us to be safe and alive, at the end of the day. I stumbled forward and slightly panting, not knowing which direction to move in to. Then I found it, an opening with blazing arrows sailing across from them, I trudged onwards, pulling Rue with me as fast as I could.

It was then I noticed it, a whole lot of arrows in all direction coming at us, all at once. I harshly pulled Rue to the ground, and fell gently over her body to cover it and not trying to crush her all the same. But I felt it. I felt the four blistering arrows strike through my abdominals. By the time the fifth one pierced through, it hit my rib, and I coughed up clumps of blood on to Rue's short curly hair.

"Madge..." I heard her wheeze. Just as I lifted myself lightly off of her to give her questioning look, but the question died in my mouth as soon as I saw her. My body wasn't enough to stop the tip of the burning arrows touch Rue's body. She laid underneath me, drenched in both of our blood, which was soon leaking on the now around her, seeping in to the now crimson snow. "Get out of here..."

"No." I panted it out, before coughing up more blood beside her face. "...I'm not leaving you-"

"If you don't, we'll both die." She said too bluntly for me. I felt tears gathering up in my eyes, but they never fell.

"Please... Don't say that!"

"Madge... you have to win."

"Not without you-"

"I'm stuck Madge…"

"I'll loosen these arrows off of you-"

"Madge..." by then I was in full blown tears, and I barely could identify the sorrowful look that didn't suit Rue one bit. "Take the pin."

After a moment of looking in to watery doe eyes, I hesitantly did so.

"Madge...Remember the bet? You have to win now" She said with a light smile, as my teardrops landed on her cheek, "... _You have to be strong_."

I nodded slowly, ignoring the memory of my grandmother, before kissing her on the cheek with my bloody lips. "I'm so sorry Rue... I lied to you..."

"Madge..." She said, no longer looking at me, but at the cloudy sky above me. "I have to tell you something..."

"What is it?" I asked, my lips trembling harshly. I lifted myself up slowly, the body of the arrow sliding through the burnt wholes of my skin, and leaving stains of my blood behind.

But when I looked back down at Rue, she was still as a strawberry bush on a breezeless spring day.

"Rue..." I choked out, as I fully sat up on my knees on top of her. I clutched on to the pin, in my pain stabbing right hand. Then I abruptly fell on my side, right next to Rue. Trying to look at her properly but the tears in my eyes wouldn't let me.

_You're the one that should've died._

"I'm so sorry..."

_It should've been you._

Why wasn't it me that died? I had been hit too! It was always me, I always had to be the lucky one… The one that always had it perfect, even during the Hunger Games. I thought maybe if being chosen for the Hunger Games compensated for the perfect life I lived, the better than most life I had- but no. No. No. No.

No! No! No! No! NO! At the end of the day, I still was the lucky one. The weakling that couldn't even help protect a friend.

_You're the one who killed her. Not them._

"I'm so sorry!" I coughed up more blood, feeling more frustrated I couldn't see her.

_Stop crying! This is your entire fault!_

I dragged my free arm, the one that I wasn't resting on-and clutching tightly to the Mockingjay pin, and dragged my hand over Rue's eyes. Closing them shut.

_Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you murder._

I let out a strangled scream, 'I wanted to see her! I wanted see her sleeping! Stop crying!' were my fading thoughts as my vision began to feel hazier. If I closed my eyes, then it would be over for me.

_I hate you._

So I tried to keep myself awake, beside the now sleeping Rue as long as I could. I didn't look at her, because every time I did my tears wouldn't let me. But if I looked elsewhere, I could see the arrows everywhere, hanging down from the dead trees, striking out from the blood-spattered snow white ground. But nobody ever came, not that I was expecting anybody to.

_You should just die…_

I kept my eyes open looking out in to the now dimming sky, it could've been beautiful if the clouds weren't intercepting the sun's rays. I didn't know why I held my eyes open to the sky, maybe it was because I was hoping for something to happen, for someone to get me, but when glancing at Rue I knew it was that I didn't want to break a second promise for Rue.

_No._

It wasn't long before my eyes were finally closing shut. For the last time. I wanted to apologize for everyone I disappointed, for everyone who tried so hard to get me to survive, everyone, My father, my mother, my grandmother, one of my only friends Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, even Effie, Cinna, and most of all, Rue. But then why was there a tugging feeling at Gale? Why did it feel like I was betraying him the most? Why was I remembering him last? Why-

"Madge..." I heard a soft whisper, and for the second time I thought it was an angel, or it could've been, but I knew that voice too well.

_Go on, and live…_

I consumed myself in to darkness. Dreaming about a twelve year old, brown doe eyed girl.

_Knowing that you couldn't save her._

I failed to see one Olive-skinned hand reach mine..

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

_'Rue...'- Unknown_

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

**A/N: Unedited. Not proud of this at all… Maybe once I finish the story, I'll edit it properly :). Sorry for long wait, I honestly don't know why I still have followers for this story, nonetheless you guys are amazing. :) I love you all, please leave feedback, and comments behind. Oh, and stay tuned! Gadge is in the next chapter.**


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